A 52-year-old man has died after being hit by a car on Upper Wentworth Bridge, police said. Const. Indy Bharaj told CBC Hamilton that officers received a call from a passenger in a minivan at about 5:30 a.m. ET. “The caller advised police that they were simply involved in a motor vehicle collision with a bicyclist.” When police and paramedics arrived at the scene, the man riding the bike was lying in the middle of the road with no vital signs, Bharaj said. He is one of 12 pedestrians killed in Hamilton this year. In an interview with CHCH, Bharaj said police do not know what is causing the high number of deaths on Hamilton streets. “We’re just asking pedestrians and drivers, please take a little extra time. And the pedestrian, don’t expect the driver to see you.” Flood said in a tweet: “A person riding his bike was killed by a motorist this morning. And what do those in power and influence say live on the scene about the death records? “Nothing will change until we start tackling the root causes and not just asking people to be perfect.” Inspired by Cycling 🚲 On Upper Paradise 🛑 Upper Paradise & Mohawk intersection needs safety improvements for pedestrians and cyclists ⚠️🛑 More protected bike lanes in West Mountain pic.twitter.com/sSRG4Y8D9T —@EasyThePianoMan Flood said this case, along with the other deaths, is an emergency that “requires attention at this time.” “Enough is enough. Our children and community members are being hunted on our streets and what are we really doing?” Flood said. He said he drives quite often, but doesn’t feel safe while doing so. “Most importantly, our youngest and most vulnerable do not feel safe and ARE not safe as we see them.” “A four-year-old was hit by a truck driver yesterday — my God, four-year-old. What do we do?” Flood said authorities should stop asking cyclists how to be safe and instead remove opportunities for drivers to hit cyclists and pedestrians. “There will never be a bell loud enough, a helmet loud enough, or clothes bright enough to make up for our poor infrastructure — and we all know it. “We have an election in October, so find the candidates who are working to make real change … and let’s remove those who want to maintain this violent status quo.”
‘Sad’ but ‘not surprising’
Dave Shellnutt said stories like the cyclist’s death hit “very close to home”. “I’m a cyclist. I ride all year round. My kids cycle to school. My dad cycles in the country … my friends cycle in Hamilton. I cycle in Hamilton. “It’s sad, but it’s not surprising at all.” Dave Shellnutt, a personal injury lawyer representing the cyclists, says Tuesday’s death was “sad but not at all surprising”. (Submitted by Dave Shellnutt) Shellnutt, a personal injury lawyer who represents cyclists, told CBC Hamilton that cases like this are “more common than we would like.” “The statistics speak to a problem, a road safety problem that is endemic in nature from injuries to people being killed. “The numbers are staggering, and the fact that we don’t have broad, collective action from the municipal to the provincial level on this is shocking. “City government can and has the power to listen to the community and create safe infrastructure for cyclists and all vulnerable road users,” said Shellnutt. On Wednesday, Hamilton City Council is bringing forward the Complete Streets Design Manual, which wants streets to be “designed and designed to balance the needs of all road users, to allow people of all ages to travel safely , their abilities or the way they are selected. to move.” “The facts and the data are there to support it and the community supports it as well. It’s unthinkable,” Shellnutt said.
The rights of cyclists
Shellnutt said cyclists should know they have rights. “The one thing we tell cyclists is: ‘Always assume they either don’t see you or don’t care. “Ride defensively because you might be right, but we don’t want people to be dead, do we?” Families of people killed while cycling also have rights, according to Shellnutt. “There are some immediate benefits that you can access immediately for the family, for funeral expenses and psychological support. Trying to get the family compensation as much as possible to compensate them for their loss. But it’s woefully lacking in Ontario,” he said. “In addition to compensation, they can turn to support groups like Friends and Family for Safe Streets, Advocacy for Respect for Cyclists, and when they’re able to deal with the trauma, they can push for change [honour of] the person they lost.”
