Ghost bike memorial pays tribute to cyclist killed in southwest Scarborough late last month
CTV
An emotional memorial was held on Sunday afternoon in honour of a 47-year-old cyclist who died after being struck by two drivers just under a week ago in southwest Scarborough.
An emotional memorial was held on Sunday afternoon in honour of a 47-year-old cyclist who died after being struck by two drivers just under a week ago in southwest Scarborough.
The collision happened on Feb. 26 shortly after 5:30 p.m. on St. Clair Avenue East, just west of Birchmount Road. The victim was rushed to the hospital, but died there a short time later.
Described as a “moving and impactful” memorial by organizers, Sunday’s gathering brought together dozens of cyclists, supporters, and advocates as well as a few family members of the victim, who has been identified as Bill (Vasilios) Petropoulos.
The gathering also included the installation of what is known as a ghost bike, a bicycle that is painted white and decorated with flowers in remembrance of vulnerable road users killed on Toronto’s streets.
Petropoulos has just left a funeral and was on his way to work when the collision that took his life occurred, his family told CP24.com.
Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists, which planned Sunday's memorial, had previously interacted with Petropoulos as he'd delivered food using his bike to vulnerable people in shelters on several occasions.
“He was a humanitarian with a large family here in Toronto, in New York City, and Greece,” the group wrote in a post on Facebook.
