Dr. Kirstin Weerdenburg, a pediatric emergency medicine physician and trauma team leader at IWK Health, is calling on HRM to take action to make city streets safer for cyclists. 

Dr. Kirstin Weerdenburg and her daughter, Genevieve

In spite of the implementation of bikeways throughout HRM, the number of cyclists injured by motor vehicles in the province has doubled every year since 2019. According to Dr. Weerdenburg, as quoted in a story on CBC News online, the injuries are not only increasing in number, but also in seriousness. 

“As a trauma expert, I started hearing and seeing more people affected by cycling injuries and the people that I saw that were affected by it were having much more severe injuries,” she said, adding, “There’s probably a lot more people on the roads with their bikes, as well as a lot more drivers.”

Dr. Weerdenburg wants HRM to examine the data related to the current infrastructure to determine why the number and severity of cyclist injuries related to motor vehicles is increasing despite its implementation. She says a collaborative effort between HRM, trauma and injury prevention experts and cyclists is needed to make the necessary changes to prevent further increases in these injuries in the future.