The death of 19-year-old Fyfa Dawson, hit by a concrete truck driver just south of Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019 has sparked calls for urgent changes to temporary traffic management and heavy vehicle operations.
Coroner Ruth Thomas’s report highlights serious safety flaws at the motorway construction site where Dawson was killed. The traffic plan called for a one-metre sealed shoulder for cyclists, but on the day of the crash, that space was filled with road cones. Cyclists who rode along the pedestrian pathway were out of sight for truck drivers. And there was no gate controller to stop pedestrians and cyclists crossing when trucks were moving in and out. According to Coroner Thomas, these safety failures played a key role in the collision, as reported by the New Zealand Herald.
The 22-page report released Thursday recommends improvements in traffic management and tougher safety rules for heavy vehicles. The coroner found the collision was largely caused by a “vehicle-centric” design and poor implementation of the temporary traffic management plan.
Nearly six years on, Dawson’s family is still grieving. Caryn Dawson, Fyfa’s aunt, said the report’s release had reopened “a deep wound” and called on the government to make coronial investigations faster. She added, “How can a family start to heal when they have to wait years for answers?” A faster system could help implement safety recommendations sooner, potentially saving lives in the future.
The day she was killed, Dawson was riding to her hairdressing course. Here in Canada, there have been similar calls for better infrastructure when it comes to making roads safer for cyclists. Especially when it comes to cement mixers and dump trucks in cities.
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…