The road where a 54-year-old cyclist was killed on Thursday night has been earmarked for a new cycleway since 2015.
On Thursday evening emergency services were called to a fatal crash in Pakowhai, near Hastings, just before 6.30pm.
A truck and cyclist had collided on Brookfield Rd near the Gilbertson Rd intersection, with police later confirming a 54-year-old male cyclist had died.
Yesterday the Serious Crash Unit was continuing to investigate the incident, and were appealing for witnesses.
Family and friends turned up at the site last night exactly 24 hours after the tragedy.
The road where the crash occurred was earmarked as part of the joint Napier City and Hastings District councils' Urban Cycleways Project - designed to make cycling a safer transport choice.
In June 2015 a total $8.9 million in funding was received for the project, part of which would go toward 18km of on and off-road cycling routes to provide a connection between Napier and Hastings.
A district council spokeswoman said as part of this, they had planned to build a cycle lane on Brookfield Rd from Gilbertson Rd to the Brookfield Rd Bridge, as well as on Pakowhai Rd up to the Chesterhope Bridge.
"Hastings District Council is committed to this work being completed by the end of this year," she said.
A Napier City Council spokeswoman said they were planning on widening the shoulders of Sandy Rd - which becomes Brookfield Rd.
In light of this, a cycling lobby group has called for faster action to improve road safety
Cycling Action Network spokesman Patrick Morgan said while the cause of Thursday's crash was not yet known, "we know that roads with shoulders are safer for everyone".
"We call on Hastings District Council to make quick progress on fixing black spots like Brookfields Rd," he said.
Mr Morgan also said the Government was not taking action quickly enough, as it was two and a half years since the Cycling Safety Panel recommended 15 high priority actions to make roads safer.
Among the recommendations of the panel were to investigate the costs and benefits of introducing mandatory truck side-under-run protection and other vehicle safety features.
They also recommended the increase and incentivising of training for commercial drivers about driving safely near cyclists, and to raise cyclist awareness of the risks of riding near heavy vehicles.
"Action has been too slow. It is clear what to do to make our roads safer, so why are we waiting? How many more people will die?"
Yesterday a police spokesman said it was unlikely the cyclist's name would be released until next week, so they could ensure family members overseas were informed.
Hawke's Bay Ramblers Cycling Club president Don Kennedy said he had not heard yet if the person involved was a member.
The road where the crash happened was a popular Ramblers route, but he said the cyclist "could have just been someone riding home from work".
"Regardless of if they were a Rambler, or a mountain biker, or an orchard worker riding a bike, it's a tragedy," he said.
"The fact that a cyclist has been killed is a tragedy, and hopefully we'll find out what happened so these kind of incidents don't happen again."
The incident was a reminder of the importance of safety for cyclists and motorists.
"We've got to be careful out there, cyclists have got no protection on the road," he said.
"This time of year there's lots of trucks around. We [cyclists] have just got to be lit up like Christmas trees, wearing bright clothing, with lights front, back, even the side."
This crash comes after the latest Ministry of Transport figures show the Hawke's Bay and Northern Wairarapa area could be heading for its highest annual road toll in a decade.
There have been eight fatalities on roads in the five local authority areas in the Hawke's Bay Today circulation area, from Wairoa to Tararua.
• Police are asking anyone with information about the crash to contact Constable Andre Taylor of the Serious Crash Unit on (06) 873 0500.