Iqaluit car accident sends two young cyclists to hospital

Two young girls riding bicycles were taken to hospital July 5 following a motor vehicle accident near Arctic Ventures. (FILE PHOTO)

Two young girls were rushed to hospital in Iqaluit July 5 after they were struck by a motor vehicle while riding bicycles on the road by Arctic Ventures Marketplace.

The girls, aged four and six, were riding their bikes on Queen Elizabeth II Way by Arctic Ventures at about 4 p.m. when the accident took place.

The six-year-old was released from care, but the four-year-old remains at Qikiqtani General Hospital. She is being treated for head trauma.

Nunavut RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Yvonne Niego said no charges have been laid yet. But she said a police investigation is continuing.

She also said the girls were not wearing helmets.

Niego urges those who may have witnessed the incident to contact the RCMP detachment at 979-0123 or 979-1111.

This isn’t the first time an accident has occurred close to Arctic Ventures.

Last year, on July 29, four-year-old Tyler Enookie Qaqqasiq was struck and killed by a vehicle near the four-way stop by the 190s block of buildings.

And just a few weeks after that, on Aug. 14, a teenager was hit by a car near Arctic Ventures.

After that, the City of Iqaluit installed speed bumps around the area, and in various locations around town.

Niego said drivers must pay closer attention to high-volume traffic areas in Iqaluit.

City administrators should also improve safety measures in town, she said.

“There’s just so much busyness in certain areas around town that a lot can be done in different ways,” Niego said. “I know that the city has put in the speed bumps, that’s one thing. There could be more attention to other things such as that.”

“Iqaluit has grown so much that you can’t just walk on the roads anymore. Or bike on the roads.

“You really need to separate motor vehicle traffic from bicycle traffic to pedestrian traffic, or even to the taxis, the people parking,” she said.

The area around Arctic Ventures, in particular, is “not ideal,” Niego said.

“So I think it would take the whole community working together to identify better safety measures.”

Niego also urged parents to teach their children about pedestrian bicycle safety in busy areas around town.