A 41-year-old woman has sobbed in the Perth Magistrates Court as she made her first appearance on a charge of dangerous driving causing the death of a cyclist.

Joanne Leigh Lawrence was driving when she is alleged to have hit 70-year-old Paola Ferroni as she cycled along Kings Park Road in West Perth in November last year.

Lawrence was not required to plead to the charge and was released on bail until her next court appearance in March.

Paola Ferroni was a retired associate professor who had previously worked at Curtin University as the Director of the Centre for International Health in the Health Services faculty.

Friends of Ms Ferroni and her partner of 34 years, Rosemary Coates, were in court for Lawrence's appearance.

Outside, Ms Coates described Ms Ferroni as an "extraordinary woman".

"Everybody's feeling this terrible loss," she said.

"I know that whenever anybody is killed or dies there are people around them who feel a loss, but we're talking about a really extraordinary woman who had done a lot not just nationally, but internationally in the area of health and international health promotion."

Ms Coates said she was also a cyclist but had not been back on her bike since Ms Ferroni's death.

"I probably will do when I go back to Europe but I'm not sure about cycling here other than on cycle paths, and even the cycle paths seem to be hazardous," she said.

"Paola and I have cycled all over the world in many countries and Perth has to be absolutely the worst place for cyclists."

Ms Coates said she planned to attend the case when it is heard in court.