Thousands of Quebec cyclists took part in memorial rides across the province Wednesday evening to mark the Tour du Silence, an international event to commemorate victims of cycling accidents. Many are expected to wear black armbands in memory of accident victims, including four cyclists who were killed in the province in the past week.
On Friday, three cyclists died when they were struck by a pickup truck in Rougemont on Highway 112, south of Montreal. The victims were 36-year-old Sandra De-La-Garza-Aguilar from St. Bruno, 39-year-old Lyn Duhamel from Boucherville and 44-year-old Christine Deschamps.
They were among a group of six cyclists heading to Sherbrooke to train for a triathlon.
The next evening, 57-year-old Jacques Michaud was killed when he was hit by a car on Route 117 in Val Morin, northwest of Montreal.
The driver in that case, a 44-year-old woman, was arrested and faces a charge of impaired driving causing death.
A large ad in Wednesday's edition of La Presse newspaper reminded drivers to respect the rights of cyclists to be on the road. According to Quebec's highway safety code, drivers can pass cyclists only if there is enough room to do so safely.
"People are in a rush all the time," said Pierre Svartment, a member of the St. Lambert Triathlon Club.
The three victims in Rougemont were members of the same club.
Svartment said it may be time to consider banning cycling on highways, to prevent more tragedies.
"We're going to start asking ourselves that question," he said.
