“It could have happened to any of us”: Cyclists remember Kamloops rider killed in truck collision

“Any of us who ride our bikes in this city have had close calls very similar to what Andrew experienced. We all understand it,” said Deb Alore, also with the KCC.

“When somebody’s life is taken simply from riding their bike on a piece of the road, a multi-use path that is designed for cyclists to ride on — it’s particularly jolting.”

Friends, family, van der Westhuizen’s coworkers at Royal Inland Hospital, and other cyclists rode the multi-use path down Highland Drive and stopped for a moment of silence where van der Westhuizen was struck by a commercial vehicle on May 11.

Top of mind during the ride was safety, and how to improve cycling routes in the city.

“What we’d like to see is bicycle-specific routes and pathways. It may take a while for us to get there, but sharing the road with motorists or even pedestrians, particularly on hills, is probably not the best answer to the active transportation issues,” said Alore.

Alore and Fraser also want the ride to raise awareness among vehicle drivers and remind them to keep their eyes out for cyclists.

“We all recognize that we’re all out there and we’re all utilizing road space. From everyone, cyclists, pedestrians, vehicles — we all need to make sure we’re respecting each other’s space,” said Fraser.

They’ll keep working toward safety, in hopes they don’t have to meet like this again.

“As great as this is to see everybody coming together, it’s really sad and heartbreaking that it takes a death to make this something that people are speaking out about,” said Fraser.

by Stephanie Swensrude

“It could have happened to any of us”: Cyclists remember Kamloops rider killed in truck collision

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