The City of Ottawa will have a safety audit done of the bike lanes on Laurier Avenue following the death of a cyclist.
On September 1st, 23-year-old Nusrat Jahan was killed after being hit by a truck at the intersection of Laurier and Lyon St.
- Read Article: Cycling victim in downtown collision identified
On Wednesday, mayor Jim Watson met with the heads of transportation and community groups to discuss cycling safety. The meeting was already planned, but the tragedy was top of mind for those there.
Changes include moving yield signs that warn drivers about cyclists to be more visible on Laurier Ave., which could be done in the next three weeks, and possibly moving back stop lines for cars.
Watson says a firm will be hired to conduct the safety audit of the lanes on Laurier. It will examine the possibility of banning right hand turns off Laurier or if rounded mirrors installed on street corners would help drivers see cyclists.
There was also much discussion about cycling infrastructure. Mainly, doing a better job of planning for projects like the new Booth St. bridge, which doesn't include cycling lanes.
"The reality is that no one's perfect, no organization is perfect," says Watson.
"I think it was a mistake for us to leave off cycling infrastructure on Booth Street and lesson learned, no question about that."
A smaller group than the one that met on Wednesday is planning to meet next week to discuss the audit and other action moving forward. Some groups hope part of the focus remains on the future.
"More importantly in the long term, what can be done to try to take a systems approach to cycling safety to minimize the likelihood that you'll have collisions like this in the future," says Heather Shearer, board member of the Citizens for Safe Cycling.
The audit is expected to begin sometime in the next two months.
