A female cyclist is in hospital with serious injuries after she was struck by a Halifax Water truck in Dartmouth.
Halifax Regional Police responded to the collision near the intersection of Windmill Road and Geary Street around 10:40 a.m. Tuesday.
Police say the woman was cycling south on the west sidewalk on Windmill Road when she was struck by a Halifax Water truck driven by a 59-year-old Halifax man.
The 64-year-old Dartmouth woman was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries, said Halifax police spokesman Const. John MacLeod.
Alderney Drive was closed to traffic between Wyse Road and Queen Street Tuesday as police investigated the collision.
There is no word on possible charges at this time.
Halifax Water spokesperson James Campbell says they won’t be commenting on the incident as police are investigating.
Cycling safety advocates are calling for more side guards on trucks to help prevent this kind of incident.
Meghan Doucette from the Halifax Cycling Coalition explained that they are “a metal guard that goes on the side of the truck and prevents anything from being pulled underneath.”
She says side guards will soon be the law.
“In 2020 it will be required by the Halifax Regional Municipality for their own vehicles and the vehicles they contract, to have side guards on them,” she said.
A spokesman for Halifax Water tells CTV News that trucks in their fleet that are 2017 or newer models currently have side guards.
The truck involved in Tuesday’s collision was an older vehicle and did not have side guards.
“We can prevent serious injury and ensure that loss of life doesn't happen by having this basic safety measure,” Doucette said.
Doucette says the Halifax Cycling Coalition will continue to promote public awareness on the issue of side guards for commercial trucks.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Paul Hollingsworth.
