Calls grow for bike safety measures after Saskatoon cyclist killed - Action News
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Saskatoon

Calls grow for bike safety measures after Saskatoon cyclist killed

A rally in support of the family of Natasha Fox is planned for Wednesday, and cycling advocates are calling for more safety measures.

Rally in support of family of Natasha Fox planned for Wednesday

A memorial with a bike painted white is beside a post with flowers on an intersection.
A rally planned for Wednesday will end at the memorial site at the intersection of Wiggins Avenue and College Drive, where Natasha Fox was killed on May 24, 2023, when she was struck by a cement truck. (Liam O'Connor/CBC)

Advocates are calling for improved bike safety measures after a Saskatoon cyclist was killed.

"When it happened, it really shook us because we could picture ourselves in those intersections our kids, our family, other cyclists that you see on the road. So it was heartbreaking to hear this, and wakes us up to the fact that we have to take action in this city," saidNancy Broten, owner of Life Outside.

Last Wednesday, Natasha Fox, 33, was killed after being struck by a cement truck on College Drive. The mother of two was a teacher with Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools and an accomplished athlete.

Broten saidSaskatoon needs more protected bike lanes, signage and other infrastructure.

"A lot more can be done with a fundamental shift in our thinking about how we could bike in this city," she said.

Fellow cyclist Cynthia Hernandez saidshe haslived in Saskatoon since 2008 andthe infrastructure for cyclists has not improved.

"Fifteenyears later, the city's still pretty much the same for biking safety," she said.

Hernandez saideveryone has a right to cycle safely to work, to school, for exercise, or just for fun. She saidthis tragedy has shown everyone the urgency of the situation.

Two women stand beside each other in a bike rental store.
Nancy Broten and Cynthia Hernandez both want to see a safer city for cyclists. (Travis Reddaway)

"I think just by what has been going on in the last few days, it feels like there is an interest from the community, from the government, to move some of those initiative that probably have been looked at but have been sitting on the side of someone's desk," she said.

Terry Schmidt, the general manager of transportation and construction for the City of Saskatoon, said in an emailed statement that the city would not be commenting on the specifics of the collision, given there is a police investigation.

He added that the area of College Drive between Clarence Avenue and Preston Avenue is identified as a future bus rapid transit route, and the proposed conceptual design "includes intersection improvements for connecting roadways and a multi-use pathway on the north side of College Drive for cyclists and pedestrians."

On the weekend, Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clarktweeted that he's heard concerns about the safety of the intersection where Fox diedand that he will work to make improvements.

A rally is planned Wednesday afternoon. Participants are planning to cycle from the University of Saskatchewan to the intersection at Wiggins Avenue and College Drive.

LISTEN| As the Saskatoon cycling community grieves the death of a cyclist, what can be done to make commuters safer on city streets?
The death of a 33 year old cyclist in our city has shaken many people in this community. Candice Lipski talks with three cyclists: Nancy Broten, Tyler Rittinger and Cynthia Hernandez to get their thoughts on the tragedy and what can be done to make cycling safer in the city.

With files from Saskatoon Morning