Cyclist dies after collision at Higgins and King: Winnipeg police

A cyclist has died after a collision on Higgins Avenue on Tuesday, Winnipeg police say.

Police blocked off a section of Higgins Avenue between Princess Street and Main Street.

Police said emergency personnel responded to a report of a collision involving a cyclist at the Higgins Avenue and King Street intersection at 1:45 p.m.

The cyclist was found dead at the scene, police said in a news release Tuesday.

Two bikes, one with a crumpled rear wheel, could be seen lying on the ground within the police tape Tuesday afternoon, next to a white sheet covering part of the scene.

A shoe lay next to the sheet, and a semi-trailer truck was parked a few metres away, also within the police tape. 

Call for protected bike lanes

Anders Swanson, executive director of the Winnipeg Trails Association, is calling for more protected bike lanes around the city in light of the fatality. 

There is no protected lane on Higgins Avenue where the cyclist was killed. Many homeless people frequent the area on bikes. Swanson says the way our roads are designed isn't fair to people who ride their bikes.

"It's anti-human. We're talking about people so it's not drivers, it's not cyclists, it's people, people on bicycles and it's very simple," he said on CBC's Up to Speed Tuesday afternoon.

Police asked drivers to avoid the area. They expect the stretch of Higgins to remain closed into the evening, as traffic collision officers investigate.

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