A driver who struck a cyclist at a Victoria intersection on Sunday, causing serious injuries, has been fined for running a red light.
The cyclist was riding in the bike lane on a green light before being struck by a driver who failed to stop for a red light at the intersection of Cook Street and Richardson Street.
Under the Motor Vehicle Act, the maximum fine for failing to stop for a red light at an intersection is $167, but that could be reduced to $147 if paid within 30 days.
Const. Terri Healy said in a statement that police issued a Motor Vehicle Act violation ticket to the driver. Police did not say whether other charges are being considered and noted that the driver remained at the scene.
“The file is not yet concluded,” Healy said. “I can’t speculate on any other investigative action.”
Richardson Street, which underwent a redesign in recent years, is the major cycling cor ridor linking Victoria’s Fairfield neighbourhood and beyond to downtown.
Victoria councillors Dave Thompson and Matt Dell want the province to install more than 50 speed and red-light cameras at high-risk intersections in the city.
After the crash on Sunday, Thompson said he’s open to the idea of installing intersection cameras throughout cycling corridors as well. “Even if it only saves one life, I think it’s worth it.”
The intersection of Richardson and Cook Street, which saw 21 collisions between 2018 and 2022 according to crash map data from ICBC, would not qualify as a high-risk intersection, as only nine of those collisions were defined as casualty crashes — that is, having caused an injury or a fatality.
The councillors are advocating for cameras to be installed at locations where there have been 20 or more casualty crashes from 2018 to 2022, though Thompson said the number is just a starting point.
“The province may select different criteria. They may say: ‘Hey, we’ve got a kilometres-travelled reduction target’ … making it safer for cycling may be part of it.”
According to a 2019 survey by Cities, Health & Active Transportation Research, one of the top factors determining whether Victorians decide to cycle was the fear of motor vehicle traffic.
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