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Fatal accident on Auckland's Tamaki Drive in November 2010. - Source: ONE News -
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A coroner has floated the idea of mandatory high visibility
clothing and compulsory use of cycle lanes for cyclists.
The new safety ideas were raised at one of a series of nationwide
inquests into a spate of cyclist deaths.
Jane Bishop, 27, was killed on Auckland's Tamaki Drive in November after falling under a truck when she swerved as a car door was opened.
Coroner Gordon Matenga says her death could have been avoided if she had used a cycle lane.
Transport planner Bevan Woodward says that in his opinion the Auckland City Council's actions "were a significant contributing cause of the death of Jane Bishop."
He told ONE News that he had urged the council to remove car parks on the road in 2006 because they created a dangerous "pinch-point".
"It became apparent, from my discussions with Auckland Council staff, that due to budget considerations they were not going to implement any of the recommendations in my report," he says.
The council did remove the parking spaces two days after Bishop's death, even though an independent review found road layout didn't contribute to the crash.
Auckland Transport now has further plans to make Tamaki Drive safer including a city-bound cycling lane.
"Any modification beyond that will be extremely expensive and will require significant road widening," says David Warburton of Auckland Transport.
The coroner is also considering new road rules for cyclists such as making it mandatory to use cycling lanes, where they are available and to wear high-visibility reflective gear.