Halifax cyclist dies after truck collision

The death of a 30-year-old Halifax cyclist in the Annapolis Valley is tragic, biking groups say, and highlights the need to better protect vulnerable riders.

Kings District RCMP said the man, dressed in full biking gear and riding a racing bike Monday afternoon, died in hospital after a collision with a pickup truck at the intersection of Ridge and Greenfield roads outside Wolfville.

“It’s really, really unfortunate and we’re very saddened by the news,” Kelsey Lane, executive director of the Halifax Cycling Coalition (HCC), said Tuesday.

Summer is a busy time for cyclists to be out on the roads, Lane said, and many from Halifax take a route to Wolfville for day trips so it’s extra vital for drivers to remember the onemetre buffer zone between themselves and any bikers.

The HCC and Bicycle Nova Scotia would especially like to see the shoulders of roads widened in rural areas when paving is being done, Lane said.

“There’s a cyclist fatality every year and that number can be decreased with the proper investment and infrastructure in place,” she said.

Police said conditions were clear at the time, and the investigation is ongoing but charges are not expected against the female driver of the truck, who was not injured.

“The truck driver did nothing wrong, certainly obeying all rules of the road and traffic devices,” Const. Kelli Gaudet of Kings District RCMP said.

Zachary Steinman, Bicycle Nova Scotia vice president of road and Cyclocross competition, said while the driver may have done nothing wrong it’s always important to emphasize that people should be “aware of the potential” they have when using a car.