Council votes for bike safety improvements at corner where cyclist was killed

Saskatoon city council is making road safety improvements following the death of a cyclist at a busy intersection last year.

Natasha Fox, 33, was biking at the intersection of Wiggins Avenue and College Drive in May 2023 when she was killed in a collision with a cement truck. Two children were riding just behind Fox at the time of the crash.

"Natasha Fox was exactly where she was supposed to be, according to the cycling bylaw and the way this intersection is constructed," Jim Arnold with Saskatoon Cycles said during council's regular business meeting on Wednesday.

"And she was killed in front of her children. In what world can a report that says ‘do nothing right now’ be accepted?"

Going against the advice of administration, city council voted to add a painted bike lane and a bike box at the intersection where Fox died. A bike box is a cyclist-only area at the front of the intersection that provides a visible space to wait.

Fox’s husband Tod Fox has been advocating for change ever since the collision that changed his life.

"Whether you like it or not, this is your top priority," Fox said.

"Not because I say so, not because Natasha was killed at this intersection — because it's one of the most important intersections in our city."

Saskatoon police are investigating a serious collision involving a cyclist. (Chad Hills / CTV News)

After the fatal collision, city council commissioned a road safety audit from engineering consulting firm CIMA+ to explore changes at the intersection.

An 82-page report was presented to council earlier this month that laid out recommendations for what it referred to as the busiest cycling intersection in Saskatoon, with a history of harmful crashes.

Administration supported all but three of the 14 recommendations in the report — leaving out the suggestions that were cycling-focused.

This lead to plenty of frustration from the cycling community, with advocates pointing out the whole purpose of the audit was because someone was killed riding a bike at that intersection.

"We're willing to take pennies from heaven basically at this point for cycling safety in this city," Arnold said before council came to its decision.

"Does a bike death not make the slightest bit of difference in an intersection that's not to be so heavily used?"

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Jay Magus, Saskatoon's director of transportation, was adamant Wednesday that adding a painted bike lane and bike box would not improve safety, but would actually decrease safety on Wiggins Avenue.

"Quite frankly, just putting a black box and a painted line will not improve safety, it will lower the level of safety," he said.

Magus and his department said a painted bike box and an unprotected bike lane would create a false sense of safety as pavement markings can be driven over and are difficult to see in winter.

Replying to numerous questions from councillors about immediate changes they could make to improve safety, Magus again voiced his opinion to leave the intersection unchanged or spend much more money to widen the street, build protected bikes and add a series of active transportation infrastructure because the road can only accommodate one bike lane going north.

Despite being the most cycled intersection and having cyclists saying Wiggins provides the most direct access to campus and other parts of the city, Magus said his department would rather have cycling infrastructure implemented on Munroe Avenue since it has the ability to connect Stonebridge all the way north through the University of Saskatchewan campus.

"We know what type of infrastructure needs to be put in where and we're confident in what would work and what won't," Magus said to councillors.

Most of the recommendations suggested by administration are in progress or have been completed, and councillors spent hours trying to find a way to implement something immediately rather than have the intersection go unchanged for years.

"It's important that we do something," Coun. Cynthia Block said prior to the vote.

"I don't think there's any solution that we can come up with today that's going to be perfect, but I don't think we can make perfect be the enemy of the good."

Coun. Randy Donauer was the only member of council to vote against the changes.

"We cannot move forward without taking some very practical steps in the immediate term. People's lives are literally at risk at this intersection every day — and it's not a small number of people."

As part of the changes, no right turns will be allowed on a red light at Wiggins Avenue turning on to College Drive heading eastbound.

Only one bike lane travelling north on Wiggins will be painted because the road is too narrow to accommodate a second bike lane, according to the transportation department.

Administration will now work on final designs before making the changes.