Saskatoon committee considers changes at intersection where cyclist died last year
City admin dissuades committee from some recommendations, drawing ire from cyclists
Tod Fox says his wife's death at one of the busiest intersections in Saskatoon was not an accident.
"Natasha's death was entirely preventable," he told a handful of city leaders Tuesday afternoon.
Natasha Fox, 33, was hit and killed by a cement truck at the College Drive and Wiggins Avenue intersection while cycling with her children on May 24, 2023.
Tod Fox spoke at a meeting of the city's transportation committee as it considered a road safety review meant to look at short and long term safety improvements for the intersection. Council passed a motion to conduct the safety audit last year, about a month after Natasha's death.
The auditors laid out 14 recommendations including changes to traffic signals, cycling and pedestrian infrastructure, and new signage. The committee passed most of the recommendations. They will now proceed to city council.
Intersection audit report
The 82-page report from CIMA+, an engineering consulting firm, delves into the intersection through the eyes of urban planners, engineers and safety professionals.
It is the most biked intersection and the second most walked intersection in Saskatoon. It's also home to a history of harmful crashes, the report said.
Most of the recommendations that city administration suggested be passed are either in progress, a part of the Bus Rapid Transit project, or completed.
City administration was against three of the recommendations from the CIMA+ report, all of which are considered a part of cycling infrastructure:
- Develop bike box pavement markings, a northbound painted bike lane on Wiggins Avenue between College Drive and Elliott Street, and implement no-right-turn-on-red restrictions.
- Modify lanes to create a one-way northbound street on Wiggins Avenue, double left-turn lanes southbound out of the University of Saskatchewan and a fully protected cycling facility on Wiggins Avenue for one block.
- Expedite the "Connecting Campus" study, which is assessing the cycling route to the University of Saskatchewan through the Varsity View, Haultain and Adelaide-Churchill neighbourhoods. It is also looking at necessary cycling infrastructure.
Some people wrote to council to complain that the city didn't support these changes, especially the bike box and bike lane pairing. A bike box would work similarly to a bike lane, but specifically at the edge of the intersection.
Administration wrote that painting a bike box could provide a false sense of safety, as the markings can still be driven over and could become covered in snow during the winter. It also said eliminating red light right turns would be inconsistent with the rest of the city.
"If you put in the bike lane, that just creates that perceived safety that may not be there, because it's not a protected bike lane," said Jay Magus, Saskatoon's director of transportation.
Magus suggested bike infrastructure along the neighbouring road, Monroe Avenue North, could be a better option.
A motion from Ward 3 Coun. David Kirton to include the bike box on Wiggins Avenue was defeated. Tod Fox said delaying the bike box to wait for another option, like Monroe Avenue North, means people remain at risk.
Council considered a cycling corridor for that intersection in 2014, but voted to defer it in favour of a pilot project in downtown Saskatoon. The corridor never came to fruition.
All of city administration's recommendations this week passed, though the three that did not can still be debated at the next city council meeting at the end of April. If the committee's chosen recommendations pass, it would cost the city about $49,250.
No charges laid in fatal collision
During his speech to council, Tod spoke about the findings shared with him after the months-long police investigation into Natasha's death. Police concluded it was an accident and no charges were laid.
Tod said Natasha was biking toward the intersection with her two sons close behind. The walk sign was illuminated. She turned to look at her children, pulling her field of vision away from the cement truck, then went into the intersection and was hit.
Tod blamed his wife's death on the city's lax traffic laws and infrastructure. He also criticized the company that owns the truck, stating the driver could not see Natasha because it wasn't equipped with a trucking safety feature — one of the things he advocated for while speaking at city hall.
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