Latest cycling death sparks call for changes

Kevin O’Donnell cycled to work Thursday, then heard the news: Another cyclist had died.

Ottawa police say a man in his 40s was killed when he collided with a garbage truck on Clyde Avenue near Merivale Road around 8:05 a.m.

An off-duty paramedic and a police officer performed CPR, but neither they nor paramedics and firefighters were able to revive him, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

O’Donnell didn’t know anything about the man, but he said a familiar feeling overcame him.

“I’ve been in this place before where I get to work, check Twitter, and find out that some other cyclist died today,” he said.

“I’m frustrated. Cyclists or pedestrians keep getting hit by cars and killed or injured ... I’m never satisfied by what we hear afterwards.

“We just kind of forget, and we go about our day tomorrow.”

He invited some friends to go for a bike ride at lunch Thursday “just to say we are people that are worried about biking safety, and somebody died. It’s not a call for a policy paper. It’s just unacceptable that someone can die and then we forget.”

He feels cycling needs the same kind of attention that the auto and aviation industries have had for years: a long, steady attempt to become safer.

The auto industry has adopted better tires, safer glass, side-impact beams, seatbelts and a host of other measures that make driving safer, he said. And airline crashes have been followed by detailed analyses that have led to safe flying.

In cycling, “I’m focused on the culture of going towards zero” cycling deaths. “We don’t really seem to have one.”

“Toward zero” is a philosophy in traffic safety that says all deaths are preventable, and that planners should work toward this aim. The details are proving elusive. At Slow Ottawa, which supports safety for cyclists and pedestrians, Graham Larkin says we could learn from the Netherlands and even safety measures in New York City.

“Proper infrastructure means streets that are optimized not simply for cars but equally for ... cyclists and pedestrians and people in strollers and wheelchairs,” he said.

Change is too slow here despite election-time promises, he said. And, he argues, it can be illusory, as Laurier Avenue’s bike lane dumps cyclists unceremoniously back into regular traffic where it ends.

“The solution is to do independent safety audits that lead to good infrastructure for all transport modes.”

Speed limits alone don’t work, he adds, unless there are other physical changes in intersections, signs, traffic signals and elevations to make car drivers naturally drive in a way that fits with other travellers.

Police haven’t released the name of Thursday’s victim.

The driver of the truck is “obviously shaken up. It’s a horrific thing,” said Ottawa police Sgt. Wally McIlquham. “If there are any witnesses who saw this, we would appreciate a call” at 613-236-1222, ext. 2481.

Two witnesses stayed at the scene Thursday morning.