Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Spotlight on cyclists' deaths

By Kiri Gillespie
Bay of Plenty Times·
17 Nov, 2013 09:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Te Puna man Hugh Clark rode his bicycle into a stationary car on Welcome Bay Rd, causing serious injuries to his jaw and face. Photo / George Nova.

Te Puna man Hugh Clark rode his bicycle into a stationary car on Welcome Bay Rd, causing serious injuries to his jaw and face. Photo / George Nova.

A bay cycle safety expert is urging cyclists to do "everything they can" to be seen after an investigation into cycling deaths found more than half were caused by cyclists, with middle-aged men most at risk.

A coroner's investigation into 94 New Zealand deaths found an average of 15 cyclists a year have been killed on our roads since mid-2007. In the Western Bay of Plenty, one cyclist was killed, two seriously injured and nine suffered minor injuries between 2010 and 2012.

Coroner Gordon Matenga said he was surprised to find 58.5 per cent of deaths were the result of cyclists' errors, which was "contrary to every submission to me which suggested that motorists were deemed to be responsible in most cycle crashes".

Tauranga cycle safety expert Iris Thomas said cyclists needed to be vigilant and ride "defensively" as drivers failing to spot cyclists was the biggest problem.

"We've got to do everything we can to be seen on the road."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

She had seen cyclists pull "dangerous manoeuvres" on local streets.

These included not checking behind before changing direction, and crossing in front of traffic to mount the footpath without warning.

However, cycle safety had improved over the past few years, she said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Experienced Tauranga cyclist Cliff Kingston, who organised weekly social rides, was surprised by the findings.

"Cyclists are very aware of their vulnerability but there are also times when vehicles see us but they don't register we are there."

Some cyclists did silly things, "but then, so do some motorists", he said.

Cycling advocate and medical officer of health Phil Shoemack said New Zealand lacked suitable infrastructure for safe cycling, compared with Europe where the mode of transport was encouraged and made easily accessible.

"We don't do much to make roads safer for cyclists," he said.

Te Puna man Hugh Clark, who was seriously injured when he rode into a parked car in 2008, acknowledged he was at fault in his crash "but it doesn't really matter who's right and who's wrong because you're always going to come off worse when you're on a bicycle".

Mr Matenga's report showed the victims ranged in age from 6 to 93, with an average age of 46 years, and more than three-quarters were male.

Attitudes toward cycling needed a complete "rethink", Mr Matenga said.

- with APNZ

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

04 Jul 02:00 AM
Bay of Plenty Times

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

Bay of Plenty Times

'A f****** ugly mess': Gang boss' text after fatal hotbox attack on mate of 20 years

04 Jul 12:24 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

04 Jul 02:00 AM

Peter was trapped under a tractor for hours on his Mangakino farm.

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

Farmer's harrowing hours crushed beneath tractor

'A f****** ugly mess': Gang boss' text after fatal hotbox attack on mate of 20 years

'A f****** ugly mess': Gang boss' text after fatal hotbox attack on mate of 20 years

04 Jul 12:24 AM
Traffic concerns grow as Tauriko roading developments advance

Traffic concerns grow as Tauriko roading developments advance

03 Jul 11:48 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP