Should trucks in B.C. have side guards to protect cyclists?
Posted July 7, 2022 4:43 pm.
After several collisions around B.C. over the past week, calls have been renewed for side guards on trucks to help keep cyclists safe during a crash. But the head of the BC Trucking Association suggests we should put the brakes on that idea.
On Tuesday, a cyclist in Victoria was struck by a truck that was turning right on a red light.
In another crash last week, a UBC student died after he was struck by a dump truck at the corner of Pacific and Hornby in Downtown Vancouver.
A memorial bike ride was held in Vancouver and Mexico to honor his memory.
Side guards are metal panels attached to the lower sides of trucks, that prevent cyclists from sliding under the wheels of a truck during a collision.
However, the president of the BC Trucking Association suggests this could cause more harm then good. Dave Earle says he saw one that could actually cause more injuries to cyclists.
“It’s entirely possible that a cyclist or a pedestrian actually gets hooked in one of them,” he described, adding they won’t necessarily keep the cyclists from going beneath the vehicle.
“Some of the products that are on the market now, when carriers and regulators look at them it creates as many problems as they solve.”
Earle says there are already some safety measures in place, such as trailers with long solid fiberglass fairings that run down the side of the truck. While they are mainly used for reducing drag, they also stop cyclists from sliding underneath the wheels.
Earle believes it’s more important to educate cyclists and truckers about the rules of the road to avoid future crashes, adding there are several myths.
“There is a widely held, completely incorrect concept with the idea that cyclists [always] have the right of way. They do not. Even in designated bike lanes, they do not have an automatic right of way.”
