No route signs, Central Saanich bike race announcement

A Central Saanich Road resident is raising concerns about what he says was a lack of communication about the route of a Sunday bike event where a woman was killed in a collision with a pickup truck.

Wendy Beairsto, who lives on Central Saanich Road, just south of where the collision happened, said she is upset and angry at what she believes is a preventable loss of life.

Lindsay Burgess, 41, died after colliding with a pickup truck at the intersection of Central Saanich and Tanner roads while riding in the ninth annual Tripleshot CrossFondo, a fundraiser for the program of Tripleshot Cycling Club’s youth training.

Police said a preliminary investigation indicates there may have been a misunderstanding over control of the intersection.

The driver of the vehicle had the right of way at the intersection, which was manned by a volunteer course warden who can direct riders but is not an authorized flagman who can control traffic, police said. Speed ​​and alcohol do not appear to be factors in the collision, they said.

The investigation is ongoing and officers continue to interview more witnesses as they come forward, Sgt. Paul Brailey said Friday, adding that a report from the traffic analyst would likely take several months.

Beairsto said bike races are common on Central Saanich Road and she generally plans to be out or spend the day at home to avoid driving on a race course. She looked on the CrossFondo website the night before the event to check the route and was frustrated to find it wasn’t available, she said.

The event website says no map of the course is published in advance, calling it “unmapped”. Part of the course went through private property, and the site asked riders not to ride on that property before or after the event.

Beairsto and her husband were driving to the ferry on Sunday during the event and were unclear as to what was happening.

“There was no sign of an event like ‘event in progress,'” she said, adding that they didn’t see any signs ahead of time to warn them about the trip.

He found driving through intersections, including Central Saanich and Tanner roads, disorganized. “There was a need for proper traffic control,” she said.

Beairsto wants to know what has been communicated to volunteer marshals and riders regarding their responsibilities.

“Something has to change so that this doesn’t happen again. And to get to the root cause of why this happened,” she said.

Event organizers were required to submit a traffic management plan prepared by a qualified traffic control professional along with a route public notification communications plan to the Central Saanich District to obtain a permit.

Beairsto wants to know whether the plans were followed and, if so, why they were deemed appropriate.

The district will not release the traffic management or public communication plans because they are not district documents, a spokesman said.

Race organizers released a brief statement on Monday, saying they were heartbroken by Burgess’ death, which had “devastated the cycling community”. They have not responded to interview requests since then.

Burgess’ husband, Chad Grice, said organizers are committed to doing everything they can to ensure future events are safe.

(email protected)

>>> To comment on this article, write a letter to the editor: (email protected)