Saskatoon Cycles calls on city for safer bike infrastructure following cyclist death

Saskatoon Cycles called on the city in a statement Thursday to improve cycling infrastructure and safety after Natasha Fox’s death last week.

Fox, 33, was killed while cycling May 24 when she was struck by a cement truck at the intersection of College Drive and Wiggins Avenue in Saskatoon.

The statement from Saskatoon Cycles says her two young sons were cycling with her when the collision happened.

“A police investigation is ongoing, but speculation suggests that Natasha was killed when the driver of a cement truck made a right turn into her path,” read the statement. “This type of incident, called a ‘right hook’, is one of the many types of traffic altercations that are made almost inevitable by design, but could dramatically reduce with simple changes to infrastructure.”

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Saskatoon Cycles called upon city administrators in their statement to:

• Improve cycling infrastructure in high-traffic areas, including separated bike lanes.
• Initiate an education campaign emphasizing road safety equity.
• Immediately implement a ‘bike box’ at the intersection where Fox was killed and any other intersections in which similar concerns are raised.

A bike box stops traffic farther back from the intersection so bikes can stay in front of cars, making them more visible to drivers.

City Council has confirmed that at its June regular meeting, they will debate a motion to have administration commission a third-party road safety audit at the intersection of Fox’s death.

The city will also debate a motion to provide a budget option for an annual Road Safety Audit program through 2025 and provide an update on the implementation of the Active Transportation Plan.

“We are beyond the time of talk and study,” said Saskatoon Cycles board member James Arnold. “We know how to make things safe, and some of the solutions can be done overnight.”

He said Saskatoon should be safe enough so a seven-year-old can cycle safely with supervision and an 11-year-old can cycle alone.

“We’re basically stuck in Saskatoon in a 30, 40-year-old design,” Arnold said.

He said urban areas in Saskatoon are designed around cars.