Saskatoon cyclist's death brings renewed calls for change

The 36-year-old man who died in hospital on Wednesday following a collision between a bike and a passenger vehicle has been identified as Darin Kinniewess.

Kinniewess, a father of two young children, collided with the vehicle near the intersection of 19th Street West and Avenue P South around 5:45 p.m. He died from his injuries early Thursday morning, according to Saskatoon Cycles. Saskatoon Police are investigating the crash.

"It's just absolutely tragic and heartbreaking," Saskatoon Cycles board member Jim Arnold said. "And you know, Saskatoon really needs to get it together."

The advocacy group is intensifying calls to safely accommodate cyclists on Saskatoon roads.

Arnold has experienced many close calls himself, and many cyclists he knows have similar stories.

"Virtually every day when I ride in Saskatoon, I am scared at some point from a driver who's doing something unpredictable or scary to me," he said.

While the intersection where Kinniewess died isn't known as a problematic area for cyclists, Arnold says there's many things the city could do to mitigate any issues like making clearer sight lines with no parking signs closer to the intersection.

Arnold is frustrated by the lack of bike infrastructure coming from city hall. He says repeated studies and plans have shown a clear path forward, but councillors quickly become hesitant when the issue is politicized.

"This has been a political hot potato in Saskatoon; multiple elections. It shouldn't be politicized. It should be about living together and making Saskatoon a better city," Arnold said.

Wednesday's crash marks the second cyclist death on Saskatoon roads in less than four months.

Natasha Fox, 33, was biking at the intersection of Wiggins Avenue and College Drive on May 24 when she was killed in a collision with a cement truck. Her two children, biking just behind her, witnessed her death, according to her husband.

“It’s a loss and a trauma which could have been avoided with better decisions made in this room,” Tod Fox said to city council weeks after Fox's death.

At a media availability Thursday, Clark noted bike safety is on people's minds since Fox's death, and the city is committed to improving bike infrastructure in the area.

"We do have and have been working on creating and building out the active transportation network from those western neighborhoods towards the downtown," Clark said.

Arnold has seen numerous councils come and go without implementing well-laid plans. With two cycling deaths happening so close together, he hopes council will be provoked to act instead of committing to more studies -- which council did when it voted to conduct a third-party road safety audit for the intersection where Fox died.

Until then, Arnold is left hoping no other cyclists in Saskatoon are seriously hurt or killed.

"We simply haven't had the will to act," he said. "We don't need more study. We need things to happen."