Vancouver council mandates side guards for city-owned heavy trucks after cyclist's death

Vancouver's city councilunanimously passed a motion requiringside guards on all heavy trucks owned and contracted bythe city on Wednesday.

The move comes almost a month after 28-year-old PhD studentAgustn Beltrnwas killed whileriding his bike in the city's Yaletown neighbourhood. Beltrnwas cycling in a bike lane when he collidedwith a dump truck making a turn at the corner of Pacific and Hornby streets on the morning of June 29.

Guard rails or side guards are long protective barriers installed between thetwo sets of wheels on a trailerattached to a transport, semi or other heavy truck. They're designed to prevent pedestrians and cyclists from going under the vehiclein a collision.

The City of Vancouver has jurisdiction only over the trucks it operates, meaning it cannot mandate side guards for all trucks entering Vancouver.

The motion also included a clause that will see the city write a letter to Transport Canada calling for side guard legislation on semi-trucks across the country.

Emotional pleas

Beltrn's partner and cousin both urged the city todo more toprotect pedestrians and cyclistsatWednesday's council meeting, saying mandating side guards will save lives.

"I lost my partner and best friend while doing what he loved most," saidRenata Rovelo Velasquez. "We biked everywhere to work, to the supermarket, to parties," she said, adding thatshe andBeltrnhad been training for a bike race in Whistler, B.C.

Rovelo Velasquez choked back tears as she recalled witnessing the crash "from a few metres away."

"I know that Agustn'slife would have been saved if that truck had had side guards," she said. "It is also possible that other things would have saved his life: bicycle traffic signals, clear regulations on the right of way and not allowing trucks inside the downtown area."

Rodrigo Alessio,Beltrn's cousin, attended the meeting in person on behalf of the family.

"My cousin Agustn tragically lost his life while riding his bicycle from his apartment to Stanley Park," Alessio said. "Riding a bicycle in the city shouldn't be life-threatening."

Alessio said Beltrn, who was studying economics at the University of British Columbia, was kind, incredibly smart and sorely missed by his loved ones, including Alessio's young children.

Alessio and Rovelo Velasquez thanked city councillorsRebecca Bligh and Christine Boyle for hearing their concerns and bringing the motion forward.

On Wednesday, councillors also said they've already started studying and reviewing traffic planning in parts of Vancouver where right-hand turns intersect with bike paths.