Changes coming to Saskatoon's College Drive and Wiggins Avenue after road safety report - Saskatoon | Globalnews.ca

Saskatoon city council discussed the road safety review for the intersection Wednesday. The report stemmed from the death of Natasha Fox.

Natasha's husband, Tod, gave an impassioned speech at council, calling for changes to be made to prevent a situation like this from happening again.

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"You now have to act on this study, to not only consider the facts, but to also consider what matters to this community, and to consider what is fair and reasonable," Tod said.

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Some of the recommendations in the report from CIMA+ were not recommended by city administration, which suggested that 11 of the 14 should go forward.

Jim Arnold, a representative for Saskatoon Cycles, also spoke at the meeting, saying Saskatoon was in trouble when it came to infrastructure for people travelling by bicycle.

"Natasha Fox was exactly where she was supposed to be according to the cycling bylaw and the way this intersection is constructed, and she was killed in front of her children," Arnold said.

He said he was happy that this intersection was studied, but that it was studied before and nothing happened, and that can't continue.

Arnold said he cycled through that intersection twice a day for 30 years and had been hit by a vehicle.

"I was clipped by a car driver, spun, fell and almost run over. And I've had so many other close calls in this intersection."

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He said he understood that making Wiggins Avenue a one-way street would be too difficult, but that the recommendation to create a bike box and restricting right turns on red lights could be a solution implemented right now.

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

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Arnold suggested that the bike box idea could be a pilot project in the city to run until October to see if it's successful.

Greg McKee, owner of Bike Doctor, said he wanted to see the restriction on turning right on a red light and a bike box, but noted it wasn't a perfect solution.

McKee said that with rising gas prices and things like e-scooters becoming more commonplace in the city, we are likely to see more of this kind of traffic across Saskatoon.

"These commuters are going to school and to work, and like drivers, they want efficiency. They will take the most efficient route; Wiggins Avenue is a natural collector," McKee said.

James Dobson, a local cyclist, said all road markings disappear throughout the year and didn't feel like that was an excuse to not have a bike box painted.

Dobson said he has also experienced being hit by a vehicle while cycling, adding that it was from a driver making a right turn on a red light.

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"This isn't something that happens once in a lifetime. It happens regularly," Dobson said.

City council lobbed a hail of questions at city administration to get a handle on why some recommendations in the report weren't recommended by staff.

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Council also dug in to see if there were any alternatives that could be considered that weren't in the report.

Jay Magus, director of transportation for the city, noted that there were other parts of the city that restrict right turns on red lights, with Avenue D and 33 Street as an example.

He said there is an active transportation report coming in May, but said they've been looking at several aspects of the city's infrastructure and prefer Munroe Avenue over Wiggins Avenue, as it can connect to the Stonebridge neighbourhood.

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Magus said Munroe could be suitable for a neighbourhood bikeway, with much less traffic than Wiggins.

"If we want to do something on Wiggins, there's a much higher traffic volume, so that's a protected cycling facility which has an impact on transit, parking, access, etc.," Magus said.

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He said building a more active transportation route that can make cyclists more comfortable on Munroe will attract more cyclists to use that intersection over Wiggins Avenue.

Magus said that if the city wants to put active transportation infrastructure on Wiggins Avenue, it needs to be done properly and a bike box wouldn't be enough.

"If we're going to do something on Wiggins, let's put in a proper protected bike lane. That would mean widening the road, it would mean putting a cycle track on the other side of the street."

But Magus noted that in his opinion there wasn't enough room for all that and that it would be a much more costly venture.

Coun. Darren Hill pushed to have the recommendation regarding the bike box and no right turn on red implemented.

After hours of questions and deliberation, the original recommendations brought forward by city administration were passed by council, as well as Hill's recommendation.

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