Cyclist dies after collision with front-end loader

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/2022/12/16/cyclist-dies-after...

A CYCLIST was killed after colliding with a front-end loader in an industrial area near St. Boniface Thursday night.

The man was riding his bike near the intersection of Mission and Plinguet streets when the incident happened around 10:20 p.m.

Off-duty officers who were in the area tried to save him by giving him emergency care.

The man was pronounced dead when emergency services arrived. Police said the driver of the front-end loader remained on the scene.

The identity of the cyclist hasn’t been confirmed, and no charges have been laid against the driver of the front-end loader, Const. Jay Murray said Friday.

“Typically, these types of investigations are very extensive, and require a lot of work before we ultimately determine the circumstances that led up to the collision,” he said.

Murray said it’s rare for a front-end loader to be involved in such an incident.

“Anecdotally speaking, it doesn’t seem to be a common thing,” he said. “The reality is that there’s quite a bit of front-end loader work that occurs across the city in the winter months, we live in a city where there’s often quite a bit of snow. It doesn’t seem to be something that happens commonly.”

Bike Winnipeg executive director Mark Cohoe said the tragedy underscores the need to address cycling infrastructure.

“These deaths, and these serious injuries, I think we really have to recognize that these are preventable circumstances, they are preventable events,” he said.

It’s time, Cohoe said, for the city to consider a “vision zero” policy — a strategy adopted in cities across the world that looks at city planning and road safety with the goal of reaching zero traffic-related deaths and severe injuries, rather than viewing collisions as inevitable.

“When we have these serious collisions, especially fatalities, are we doing an audit to look at what were the circumstances that led to this and asking ourselves, are there sort of links in that chain of events and circumstances that we can alter so that this doesn’t happen again?” he said.

There is no bike path or sidewalk on the section of road where Thursday’s tragedy occurred.

City planning should ensure people who cycle outside high-traffic areas are safe in winter, Cohoe said.

While he hopes this tragedy will inspire those conversations at the municipal level, Cohoe said he isn’t confident.

“Obviously, the police will investigate. I would hope that that will be shared. MPI will look at this. But to what level does it come back to that system of looking at our roads, our programming, our public education, our maintenance and looking at how we’re training the staff that clean the streets?” he said. “Am I confident that it will be filtered back up through that change? No.”

At the Winnipeg Repair Education and Cycling Hub, the organizers who create community bike programs are well-prepared for winter cycling.

While the group could make safety recommendations, executive director Lucas Stewart said nothing can replace safer infrastructure.

“We recommend a studded front tire to help with steering and having a bike that you don’t mind getting a little rusty, because salt is applied to the streets,” he said. “The limiting factor really is having a safe place to ride either with or without cars, and the quality of the snow clearing.”

Along with infrastructure changes, Stewart said he’d like to see urban cycling implemented into elementary school education.

“My daughter’s four. I have a dream that when she’s 13, she can get herself to soccer practice by bike,” he said. “That’s not the case at the moment.”

malak.abas@freepress.mb.ca