Close X
Saturday, November 30, 2024
ADVT 
National

Family Calls For Road-safety Changes After Cyclist Dies In N.B. Training Crash

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 29 Dec, 2016 07:51 PM
    SAINT JOHN, N.B. — The death of competitive cyclist Ellen Watters highlights the need for safer roads in New Brunswick and beyond, her friend said Thursday ahead of a rally planned in her honour.
     
    Watters, 28, was badly injured after being hit by a vehicle while training Dec. 23 just outside Sussex, N.B. Her death was announced Wednesday.
     
    The Sunday rally will push New Brunswick to enact a one-metre rule for motorists, which is already legislated in other provinces including Nova Scotia and Ontario.
     
    Emily Flynn, Watters' friend and a fellow cyclist, said the group wants New Brunswick's rule to be named "Ellen's Law" in her memory.
     
    Flynn said the cycling community in New Brunswick has already been lobbying the government for legislation, and Watters will likely "be the catalyst that pushes it through."
     
    But Flynn said that's what Watters would have wanted.
     
    "She even said to her mother before that if she had to be the reason for roads to be safer for cyclists, she would be OK with that. Those are pretty big words," said Flynn in a phone interview Thursday.
     
     
    "Ellen always wanted to help others, and she always wanted to get more people out on bikes, and advocating for improved safety is part of that. She would always say, 'If you want to have a smile like mine, you just have to get on two wheels'."
     
    Watters, a kinesiology graduate originally from Apohaqui, N.B., had been rising up the ranks since joining the Ottawa-based The Cyclery Racing Program in 2014, and was poised to go professional next year.
     
    Earlier this year, Watters won the Tour of the Battenkill and Tour of Somerville in the U.S., and won bronze in the criterium at the Canadian Road Championships.
     
    She had signed with the U.S.-based Colavita-Bianchi team, and was to compete professionally next year, Cycling Canada said in a statement. She was also invited to be a part-time member of the Canadian women's development program.
     
    Flynn said Watters had a lust for life and a "big smile that would light up a room."
     
    "You would meet her for a second and she would have already left a lasting impacting," said Flynn. "She was just so warm and caring."
     
     
    The "One Metre For Ellen" rally will begin at 1 p.m. Sunday at 100 Prince Edward Street. People are encouraged to bike or walk from there to city hall at 15 Market Square.
     
    Under Ontario's law, motorists are required to keep a distance of one metre from cyclists, or receive a $110 fine and two demerit points.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Red Light Texting Still A Problem In Canada, Says CAA

    Red Light Texting Still A Problem In Canada, Says CAA
    OTTAWA — Some 33 per cent of Canadians who participated in a recent poll conducted by the Canadian Automobile Association admit they have texted while stopped at a red light in the last month.

    Red Light Texting Still A Problem In Canada, Says CAA

    'Rainbow Lobster' Leads Social Media Contest For Craziest Crustacean

    'Rainbow Lobster' Leads Social Media Contest For Craziest Crustacean
    Social media users are casting their "likes" for photos of exotic lobsters in an online contest that has a multitude of multicoloured, oversized and extra-limbed critters clawing to be crowned the craziest crustacean.

    'Rainbow Lobster' Leads Social Media Contest For Craziest Crustacean

    Rich Coleman Says Tent Cities Need Faster Shut Down Responses To Prevent Growth

    Rich Coleman Says Tent Cities Need Faster Shut Down Responses To Prevent Growth
    VICTORIA — B.C. Housing Minister Rich Coleman says he learned valuable lessons from the government's handling of a homeless camp on the lawn at Victoria's courthouse, and one of those lessons is acting more quickly to provide housing for people who are looking for it. 

    Rich Coleman Says Tent Cities Need Faster Shut Down Responses To Prevent Growth

    'It Just Shocks Me:' Calgary Police Chief Wants Action On Opioid Crisis

    'It Just Shocks Me:' Calgary Police Chief Wants Action On Opioid Crisis
    Calgary's police chief says the Alberta government has to take more aggressive action on fentanyl if it wants to help addicts and families who are being destroyed.

    'It Just Shocks Me:' Calgary Police Chief Wants Action On Opioid Crisis

    Prescription Opioid Use Grew In B.C. Ahead Of Overdose Crisis: Study

    The number of people using prescription opioids long-term in British Columbia was growing at a "silent but steady" rate for years before the current overdose crisis erupted, a new study has found.

    Prescription Opioid Use Grew In B.C. Ahead Of Overdose Crisis: Study

    Global Affairs Confirms Girl Who Died On Flight To London Was Canadian

    OTTAWA — Global Affairs Canada is confirming that a 10-year-old girl who died Christmas Eve after falling ill aboard a transatlantic Air Canada flight was Canadian.

    Global Affairs Confirms Girl Who Died On Flight To London Was Canadian