A 36-year-old cyclist suffered serious head injuries after colliding with street sweeper near the corner of Frontenac and Ontario Sts. at 7:12 a.m. Wednesday.

The cyclist was riding in an alley just north of Ontario when he tried to exit onto Frontenac and hit the sweeper heading north.

According to police, the cyclist did not slow down and darted out into the middle of Frontenac St. 

“He's actually at the hospital right now with serious wounds to his head,” said

Investigators can’t say exactly why the cyclist didn’t stop while approaching the street, but local cyclists say that for weeks, that stretch of Frontenac had been closed to cars due to construction.

It only reopened a few days ago.

“He probably expected it to still be closed. It can be a bit reckless but I can understand where he came from,” said Montreal police spokesperson Manuel Couture.

Police are investigating to see who exactly is to blame for this accident, but said it may have been much worse had he not been wearing a helmet.

All the construction that's going on in the area has made it a confusing summer for some east-end cyclists.

“We have to make detours everywhere and we don't know how to go,” said one cyclist.

So far this year, at least seven cyclists in Montreal have been seriously injured in accidents with cars or trucks. One person has died.

Montreal police were handing out flyers to downtown drivers and cyclists Wednesday, asking both to be respectful of each other.

Cycling activist Pierre Rogue said it's also up to cities, which he said don't spend enough on bike paths, signals and infrastructure to make roads safer.