Sad day - Cycling Accident in Quebec

[e.e.cummings]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/quebec/three-quebec-cyclists-die-after-being-struck-by-pickup/article1568952/

[shootingstar]

Pretty shocking, e.e.
Wonder if it was similar to that multiple cyclists accident on a Sunday last year in Ottawa?

[NbyNW]

oh, how awful.

[tygab]

I just saw this via Twitter. It is making me very upset. 5 women and a guy out training (triathletes), 3 of the women killed.. uuuugghhh.. I wonder what led up to this.

[e.e.cummings]

Today, the coverage on this is focusing on the view that if there was a paved shoulder on the road, this would not have happened. Apparently, in Quebec, if a road has traffic of 5000 cars a day, it should have a paved shoulder. It was reported the traffic is 13,000 a day. Officials made a statement saying that they were planning to pave it this year (what took them so long?).

I see so much surveillance in and around Montreal, between police cars and photo radar, it has really stepped in the last few years. I don't know if this has reached out to outside the city. Apparently the photo radar has turned into a real cash cow - if this road in question was so notorious for speeding, photo radar might have been a good answer for that. It has definitely slowed down drivers in the city.

[e.e.cummings]

Turns out that there is photo radar in this zone. There were reports the driver was headed home from an overnight shift and the coroner investigating the incident says it's possible the truck was on cruise control when the accident occurred. They state, it has to be asked if the use of cruise control diminished the concentration of the driver. The driver was in his lane, travelling at normal speed. The day was grey and wet and a bit hazy, which did not help visibility.

[Bike Chick]

How horrible. That could have been any one of us.

[SheFly]

Turns out that there is photo radar in this zone. There were reports the driver was headed home from an overnight shift and the coroner investigating the incident says it's possible the truck was on cruise control when the accident occurred. They state, it has to be asked if the use of cruise control diminished the concentration of the driver. The driver was in his lane, travelling at normal speed. The day was grey and wet and a bit hazy, which did not help visibility.

I saw the pic that shows no shoulder. And if the speed limit was 90 kph, it's likely the cruise was set around 100-110 kph instead. If he came upon the cyclists at that speed, with a car coming in the other direction, there was no chance for the riders.

VERY sad, and part of why I won't ride when I am visiting my family in Ontario - no shoulders, and high speed traffic.

SheFly