A cyclist was killed on the Stanley Park Causeway Saturday evening when she came in contact with a pedestrian on the shared sidewalk causing her to fall into traffic.
The tragedy occurred only two days before Vancouver’s bike-to-work week and has fueled an ongoing debate about bike lanes in the city.
Those in favour of designated bike lanes draw attention to the success of those added to the Burrard Street Bridge a few years ago.
Nine years ago, a cyclist was seriously injured when she fell into traffic on the Burrard Street Bridge. However, these types of accidents have not occurred since bike lanes were installed.
Many North Shore commuters are against having bike lanes on the busy Stanley Park Causeway. Some believe that cyclists need to be better informed on how to share the sidewalk with pedestrians.
City engineers will be making recommendations to the Province on how to improve safety for all road users.
Many hope that barriers and rails will soon be erected to separate the sidewalk from the road to prevent this type of tragedy from ever happening again.
