One cycling death is one too many and all of them are entirely preventable, says a coronial review released today.

Coroner Gordon Matenga has released a review titled Cycling Safety in New Zealand, which looks at a spate of 13 cycling deaths in 2010 and also takes into account the deaths of 94 cyclists since 1997.

The coroner also released the findings on three cycling deaths in 2010 and 2011.

Matenga has recommended an expert panel, led by the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), be put together to make recommendations to central and local government on how to prevent further cycling deaths and improve safety.

He stopped short of making recommendations specific to the incidents being reviewed, such as making it compulsory to wear high visibility clothing, and taking on board advice from cycle advocates.

"The thrust of the submissions from ... Cycling Advocates Network was that a rethink of cycling safety in New Zealand was required, that attitudes both of motorists to cyclists and cyclists to motorists need to change and that the making of such recommendations would not in fact result in making the roads safer for all road users," he said.

NZ Transport Agency was called out by the coroner for not making a submission to the Cycling Safety review, and Matenga also noted the limited involvement of local government.

The NZTA said in a statement today that it would convene an expert panel on cycle safety by the end of the year.

NZTA road safety director Ernst Zollner said the agency was committed to improving the safety of cyclists by investing in separated cycle paths, improving the safety of roads and roadsides, making intersections safer, reducing vehicle speeds in urban areas, and education.

The NZTA would meetthe chief coroner later this month to ensure the agency had the opportunity to contribute as effectively as possible to future coronial reviews, Zollner said.

Cycling Advocates' Network spokesman Patrick Morgan said a cycle safety panel was unlikely to produce the best result and a wide-reaching public inquiry, similar to that conducted after Cave Creek disaster, would be a better solution.

An inquiry into cycling should look at its benefits and how groups could work together to achieve them.

"Cycling is not a problem to be solved, but a significant opportunity to deliver a range of benefits: tourism, health, transport, clean air, liveable cities, safer streets, and recreational activities for all ages," Morgan said.



The Get Britain Cycling report from the UK's All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group offered a useful model, he said.

CORONER'S FINDINGS ON THREE CYCLING DEATHS

Ben Lawless, 22, was killed when he was hit by a right-turning car in Karori in January, 2011. The coroner reports that the driver, Yvonne Van Roy, failed to see Lawless on his bicycle before she turned right into Makara Rd. Lawless hit the car bumper first, and was then thrown head-first into the windscreen, causing it to break and shower glass in the car, before falling back on to the road. He died at the scene of severe head injuries and Van Roy was later convicted of careless use of motor vehicle causing death. The coroner made two recommendations - that an expert panel be put together to review cycle safety issues, and that Wellington City Council instruct its roading engineers to review the layout of the intersection of Makara Rd and Allington Rd.

Antony (Tony) Chapman was killed while cycling in Auckland with a friend in April 2011. Although no-one saw the accident - his friend was some distance behind him - it is thought rocks from a cliff fell into his path and cause him to lose control when he was going fast. His friend reported seeing sparks come off his bike as he rounded a corner. Despite first aid Chapman died at the scene of severe head injuries. The coroner did not have any specific recommendation's in Chapman's case, but as with Lawless' case, recommended an expert panel be put together to review cycle safety issues.

Jane Bishop, 27, was killed cycling through rush hour traffic on Tamaki Drive in Auckland. She was overtaking slow-moving traffic on the left when the driver of a parked car opened his door - she braked and skidded, but struck the edge of the door and fell to her right and under the back wheels of a truck which was moving forward. The coroner found that the driver of the parked car had done everything he could to avoid an accident, including looking in his mirrors to check the way was clear, and that Bishop had not chosen actions that might have made her passage safer - using the bike lanes available, riding slower, or taking the lane.



