The family and friends of an Edmonton woman who was killed by an alleged drunk driver on Prince Edward Island hope her death will put a spotlight on the safety of cyclists.

Elizabeth Sovis, 63, was on a cycling trip with her husband, Edmund Aunger, when she was struck from behind while riding on a highway July 14.

Edmund Aunger says his wife had many close calls when cycling, but never gave up her dream of making roads safer for bikes. (CBC News)

At a memorial held for Sovis Saturday, Aunger said his wife was passionate about the outdoors and cycling.

“I think we all want to make something good come out of this. I mean, it’s tragic. But she had a dream and I’ll make it my dream.”

“I think we have a real duty to ourselves to develop the facilities where people can do this safely,” he said.

Aunger said his wife rode her bicycle on trails and roads in Canada and across the world. She had many close calls, including a time in Oregon where he said a driver tried to force her off the side of the road.

The youngest of the couple’s three children, Richard Aunger, said those scares never dampened his mother’s love for riding her bike.

“For my parents, it was a very special thing for them to do. It was a place where they connected, where they connected very well.”

“My mom really wanted it to be something that everyone could enjoy.”

Edmond Aunger said the need to make bike trails safer, both in Alberta and other provinces, is becoming a greater concern as more and more people take up cycling. He thinks it’s time that governments across the country made it a priority.

“For some reason which my wife and I could never understand it's disaster in Alberta,” he said.