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‘We will not let Rob’s death be in vain’

Cycling community pays tribute to man killed in hit-and-run

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2024/07/25/we-will-not-let-ro...

MORE than 100 cyclists, who wore red to celebrate the life of Rob Jenner, gathered outside the Canadian Museum for Human Rights Thursday evening to honour the man killed in a hit-and-run collision.

Jenner, who regularly biked to his job as a shipper and receiver at the museum, liked to wear red on Fridays to end the work week. He was travelling eastbound on Wellington Crescent near Cockburn Street when he was hit by a vehicle going in the same direction on the morning of June 6, a day after his 61st birthday.

“Since my retirement, I waited for him with the garage door open, knowing I’d see that big smile rolling toward me — full of pride and feeling on top of the world. He was so proud to be a bike commuter,” said widow Wendy Van Loon, her speech punctuated by applause and the chiming of bicycle bells. “He must have known deep inside that he was part of something bigger, but I don’t think he knew the reach and depth of this beautiful community.”

Van Loon said Jenner knew riding a bike in the city could be dangerous and he always wore highly visible clothing, including a helmet with blinking lights. He left home early to avoid rush-hour traffic.

He was looking forward to retiring. He was an artist and writer and loved cooking. He was “friendly, blunt and also very kind,” said a statement released by the family a week after his death.

Travis Jenner, one of his sons, asked the crowd to fight for change. He said he wishes his dad could be there to help take the training wheels off his son’s bike one day.

“One small gap in safety was enough to change my life forever, so I ask you not to stop and don’t take no for an answer,” he said. “Show up and don’t back down until you’re safe, or until we’re all safe.”

Members of the bike community have chosen to honour Jenner by installing a “ghost bike” at the location of the crash. Van Loon wanted her old bike to be used. It’s been painted white. In addition to memorializing a life lost, ghost bikes serve as a reminder to drivers to slow down and be cautious of cyclists on the road, said Patty Wiens, the “bicycle mayor” of Winnipeg.

Wiens said she hopes to normalize cycling for transportation in the city and wants to see the bike network completed. Another cyclist was injured Wednesday night at the same intersection where Jenner was hit, she said.

“This moment right here is a direct consequence of a bike network that’s missing some very crucial connections. I know I speak for every person here when I say it could have been any of us or someone close to us,” Wiens said. “The moment he used his bike for transportation in this city, he became an activist. We will not let Rob’s death be in vain.”

Rachael Alguire lives a block away from the intersection. She started riding her bike to work a year ago but said she’s never felt quite safe.

She began taking her bike to work because it’s more convenient than taking the bus and for the positive impact on her mental health.

Her partner is an avid cyclist so she felt more comfortable getting into biking with her partner’s guidance.

“I experience aggression from drivers and very unsafe roads all the time,” Alquire said, just as the group was leaving to go to the site of the crash. “There’s not a day where it doesn’t happen, so it’s very close to my heart.”

Alguire hopes to see the city add protected bike lanes and for the route at Wellington Crescent to be completed.

The group of cyclists rode from the museum to the intersection where the ghost bike will remain.

Jenner’s family is working with Gordon Bell High School to set up a fund in his memory that aims to teach kids how to fix their bikes and ride them safely. Van Loon wants others to grow up with the same joy her husband got from riding his bike.

“My best friend and favourite chef is gone,” Van Loon said. “He may have been just one person, but he was my world. There’s nothing we can do to bring him back, but let’s make sure his death wasn’t in vain.”

Beckham Keneth Severight, 19, is charged with dangerous driving causing death and failing to stop at the scene.

jura.mcilraith@freepress.mb.camailto:jura.mcilraith@freepress.mb.ca