Laurier Avenue has highest number of collisions involving cyclists

Thursday'sfatal bike crash occurred just a few pedal strokesaway from the Ottawa intersection where more cyclists are struck than any other.

A westbound cyclist was killed on Laurier Avenue W.in a hit and run just east of Elgin Street yesterday morning.

• 'It could be me': Cyclists worried after fatal hit and run

Several spots along Laurier, where separated lanes were installed in 2011 west of Elgin, actually have the highest collision numbers anywhere in the city.

Laurier Avenue and Elgin Streethad 12 reported cyclist collisions between 2013 and the end of 2017, according to numbers in the city's open data catalogue analyzed by CBC.

Over those five years, there were 1,452 collisions involving cyclists across Ottawa. The most recent data the city has online is from 2017, with the numbers from 2018 expected later this year.

The second highest collision spot is also on Laurier, between Metcalfe and Kent streets, with 10 reported collisions during thatfive-year period.

The intersection of Laurier andBank Street is fourth. Twoother spots along Laurier are also in the top 20.

More volume, more issues

Shawn Gettler with advocacy group Bike Ottawa said the Laurier Avenue bike lanes have attracted a lot of cyclists, so they're more likely to run into conflict there.

"We are approaching half a million rides through there every year now," he said. "So if most people are there, that's just going to be where most of the incidents occur."

Gettler said the lanes themselvesare largely safe, but the intersections could be improved. He said while his groupwill push for intersections that better separate cyclists from motorists, those won't be easy to implement.

"Obviously, we'd welcome full protectedintersections all the way across. But that's going tobe something that we'll have to convince the city to pay for," he said.

A review of the lanes from2017 showed the collisionrate along Laurier had dropped 30 per cent after the lanes were installed, while the number of trips had jumped 330 per cent.

Gettler said the location of Thursday's collision thebike lane there is not separated from traffic is particularly dangerous.

"What you have is like a floating bike lane that goes across a right turn lane. So you're going to have a lot of vehicle motion across there, and that's just introducing conflict," he said.

'Just paint'

Kitchissippi Coun. Jeff Leiper agrees there's a real problem in that spot.

We have dozens of people who are being catastrophically hurt every year.- Coun. Jeff Leiper

Leiper, who took part in an impromptu rally Thursday following the crash, said that on that stretch of Laurierthere's "just paint" protecting bike riders.

"You probably couldn't design a piece of cycling infrastructure better to put cyclists in danger," he said.

Leiper said the overall data shows intersections aren't safe enough for cyclists, and as the city updates its transportation plan, there should be more money for cycling infrastructure.

"We have dozens of people who are being catastrophically hurt every year," he said.

"We need really strong language in that document [that says]we are going to spend more money on cycling to make it safer."