Editor,

Looking at your phone while driving a car is prohibited, but what about looking at your phone while cycling, especially with an ebike?

Our daughter, who is in her 30s, was cycling home from work on Cambie Bridge from downtown Vancouver to False Creek on Friday evening April 12. The Cambie bridge lane is separated for cyclists and pedestrians going north to south. She was hit from behind by an ebiker who was looking at his phone and ran into her.

Several walkers saw him looking at his phone. He stopped and apologized, which was nice of him. Some of the walkers gave our daughter their contact numbers in case she needs it. Our daughter fell and broke her elbow, which required emergency hospital at VGH. She received a temporary cast and later will need surgery to reset her bone.

It is a very big inconvenience for her; waiting seven hours at the hospital, being in a lot of pain and not being able to cycle to work for a while.

Our daughter is fortunate that it’s just an elbow and she’s young. But many people, young and old, walk or cycle on Cambie bridge because it’s a divided lane from cars and it’s wide and safe from cars. I have cycled and walked many times on that bridge and will do it again when the warmer weather is here.

When you see someone looking at their phone while cycling, a gentle warning may be appropriate. It could be your child, your grandchild being hit — or you.

Aline Lavoie, ÐÔÊӽ紫ý