A blood-stained road and a riderless mountain bike marked the scene of a collision in Edmonton’s Westmount area Friday morning between a truck and a cyclist on one of the city’s bike routes.

Police closed 107 Avenue between 124 Street and Groat Road around 7 a.m. as traffic investigators tried to determine what led to the incident that put a male cyclist in his 50s in hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The area includes two nearby existing bike routes — on 127 Street and 121 Street — and is just north of a planned route that will run along 104 Avenue to Stony Plain Road to the west and into the downtown core to the east.

Christopher Chan was at the scene shortly after the incident and said it was hard to tell what might have caused it, but added the collision shines a light on the need for more dedicated bike routes in the city.

“We all use the roads, we all need to get where we’re going and we want to get there safely and easily. However you’re getting around, you just have to be aware of each other and be courteous and be safe,” said Chan, executive director of the Edmonton Bicycle Commuters’ Society.

“The first step is actually building those bike lanes and making that space where cyclists and car drivers can have their separate space and not have to worry about all the dynamics of traffic negotiations. Then the awareness will follow.”

Chan pointed to a study out of the University of British Columbia that found dedicated routes with physical barriers between bikes and cars are most effective to prevent hazards but even those lanes with just painted lines help to decrease the risk.

The study also said higher numbers of cyclists in a city often correlates to lower percentage of risk to them.

The latest move to make those bike lanes a reality came in March as Edmonton city council voted to begin putting in bike lanes across the city with particular emphasis on the city’s downtown core, where Chan said most cyclists are found already.

Though a few areas were removed from the plans, Chan said he is looking forward to the new lanes being in place.

“In general the opposition to the bike lanes in Edmonton has been a local minority. Some of that minority certainly has some legitimate concerns but aside from that, the bike lanes for 2013 are for the most part going ahead and there’s a couple of areas that have been delayed for more consultation.”

According to Edmonton Police Service, the investigation into Friday morning’s incident is continuing and traffic lanes were expected to be closed until the afternoon.

There is no word yet on whether charges are pending.

david.lazzarino@sunmedia.ca

@SUNDaveLazz