Eyewitnessnews Capetown: Cyclist safety highlighted
Nathan Adams
Western Cape Transport MEC Robin Carlisle on Tuesday expressed a concern that cyclists were becoming increasingly vulnerable on the roads.
Three cyclists practicing for the Cape Argus/Pick n Pay Cycle tour were killed on the R62 outside Oudtshoorn when a car tried to overtake a truck and knocked them down on Monday.
A fourth cyclist is recovering in hospital.
This is the fifth incident in the past two months in which cyclists have been knocked down.
Carlisle said cyclists’ safety could not be taken for granted and that the law needed to step in to protect them.
“We are committed to non-motorised transport and we will make it safe and if we have to get rough with motorised transport to understand that the roads are for both; we will get rough with them.”
Provincial authorities are considering changing traffic laws to better accommodate the needs of cyclists.
However, Community Safety MEC Lennit Max said there was no need to point fingers in this case until the facts had been established.
“If laws prescribe certain actions to be complied with, you better do that. Otherwise you face the consequences. We will not be judgemental in this case; the law must take its course. The outcome of the investigation will determine who was at fault,” said Max.
