Traffic has now resumed on the Stanley Park causeway.
The only sign of yesterday’s horrific cycling accident are some skid marks from the bus which was forced to slam on its brakes.
Last night, a North Vancouver woman was killed as she cycled to work.
Police say she collided with at least one pedestrian and ended up falling into traffic.
“We have been talking to some witnesses and at this point, it looks like the cyclist has stuck a pedestrian first on the sidewalk, which threw her off balance and into traffic,” Const. Brian Montague with Vancouver Police Department told Global News.
At 6:45 Saturday evening, a flurry of 911 calls came into police about a cyclist who had fallen off the sidewalk onto the causeway and was hit by a West Vancouver transit bus full of passengers.
The cyclist was killed instantly.
Police say she was a 61-year-old North Vancouver woman who was on her way to work in Vancouver.
“We have a good idea of what happened, but until the investigation is complete, we won’t know for sure,” says Montague. “We will be interviewing witnesses and will be looking at the video on the bus.”
There is little room for error on this stretch of sidewalk that is used by both cyclists and pedestrians.
The victim was passing two pedestrians, just moments before she lost control and was hit.
It is a steep downgrade into the city, and many ride here at high speeds.
With the constant hum of traffic, it is difficult to hear anyone approaching.
There are no marked lanes on the multi-use sidewalk, no barriers, and there is a big drop from the sidewalk to the road.
“The passing here is tricky, but what I think is tricky is the height of the sidewalk,” one woman told Global News. “That will be hard to recover. If you go over a little bump, it is easy to recover. You would still be upright, but if you went off a higher bump, it is harder to stay upright.”
Another runner who uses the causeway says she keeps to the safe side.
“Just keeping very conscientious that the cyclists and pedestrians share the walkway all the time. And the cars are going really fast.”
Today many are wondering if more safeguards could have prevented Saturday’s fatal accident.
The province is responsible for this stretch of road. They will not comment until the police investigation is over.
Investigators say the bus driver is shaken and they ask that any passengers or other drivers who witnessed the accident come forward.
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