A rough day for Ottawa cyclists is causing two-wheeled commuters to wonder when the city streets will get safer.

Paramedics were called to these three crashes in a span of 41 minutes Tuesday morning:

  • At 6:58 a.m., paramedics treated a 42-year-old man for minor scrapes and an injured collar bone after he was hit at Baseline Road and Farlane Boulevard in east Ottawa.
  • A 30-year-old man was hit on Prince of Wales Drive near Waterford Drive in south Ottawa at 7:37 a.m. He reportedly lost consciousness after the crash but was awake when paramedics arrived to treat him for a head injury. He was taken to hospital in serious but stable condition.
  • Two minutes after that a 25-year-old man called 911 to tell them he had been hit while cycling near the intersection of Hunt Club Road and Bank Street in south Ottawa. He was treated for arm injuries and cuts to his knee and was taken to hospital in stable condition.

CTV Ottawa's Claudia Cautillo took a bike ride around downtown Ottawa to see the traffic conditions and talk to cyclists about their safety.

"I've been doored, I've been on the hood of a car, and I've been clipped going around a corner," said Austin Ash.

"There's no match between a bike and a car, the car wins every time," said Bill Rooney. "And if you're unfortunate you get hurt or even killed."

Cyclists said even if they use the proper hand signals, drivers don't always know what they mean.

"Not always, sometimes I have to point or yell out," said Laurie Riddell. "Most recently someone just pulled out of a lane and almost side-swiped me."

Driver inattention is cited as another example of a danger facing bikers.

"I've got a friend who had to jump off his bike, throw himself on the ground to avoid being killed," said Michel Godbout.

There are segregated bike lanes on Laurier Avenue in downtown Ottawa, but cyclists said otherwise they feel too close to traffic.

"I have close calls all the time, especially at rush hour in tight spaces," said Rooney. (Things such as) crossing bridges and where there's parking on both sides of the street."

"I have to go slower, because no, I don't feel that safe," said another cyclist.

Cyclists said they do admit some of them can make it more difficult on motorists by not following all traffic signs and biking on the sidewalk, for example.

With a report from CTV Ottawa's Claudia Cautillo