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The father of a teen cyclist says removing car parks where his son was killed could save lives, despite claims in a leaked Auckland Transport email that the move would have "minimal benefit" to cyclist safety.
Levi James, 19, was biking down Manukau Rd, believed to be on his way to visit his grandmother, on the morning of March 5 when he collided with a parked car's opening door near the Royal Oak roundabout. He died after being hit by another vehicle. The woman who allegedly opened the car door is facing a charge of carelessly operating a vehicle, causing death.
In an email to a council worker after Levi's death, seen by the Herald, an Auckland Transport (AT) staffer said the organisation had considered removing parking outside the shops as a "quick win", however, that would require consultation with businesses and affected parties.
"We anticipate that given the town centre environment and businesses operating there would be varied responses and would take several months to complete."
In addition, the worker wrote, this would be a more "piecemeal" approach to parking on that section of the road and only minimally benefit cyclist safety along the route.
But Levi's father, Phil James, told the Herald he had seen numerous crashes in that area and said if there wasn't car parking there, cyclists would have more visibility.
"It's just a dangerous intersection, and having cars parked there opening doors and pulling in and out there's no room for anyone to move if anything happens."
James questioned why the parks, opposite a large mall car park, were even necessary given the space available across the road.
"It's quite a simple change to make, and it could save more lives, because there has been numerous accidents in that area. It's a really dangerous area.
"I definitely think if you didn't have car parking right there, there would be much more room for people to see cyclists coming down the road. It's only a single lane and you've got traffic pulling out all the time from the Royal Oak mall."
He believed that if the parks weren't there, what happened to his son wouldn't have occurred.
"Nothing has changed around the Royal Oak roundabout for a long time and they've been talking about it forever and I don't see any action."
The AT worker's email also said the agency was working with police on the investigation and a key part of this was identifying if "further measures" should be taken to reduce crashes in the location.
Levi James. Photo / File
"Once this investigation is complete we will be able to provide a more thorough response on actions required," the email said.
It also said they were investing in educational campaigns for driver awareness around cyclists.
"We have been focused on turning vehicles as we understand this remains the biggest contributor of cycling fatalities and serious injuries."
Puketāpapa local board deputy chairman Jon Turner, speaking in a personal capacity, said he didn't believe the response was good enough considering someone had lost his life and that the organisation's own policy was to remove parks if they affect cyclist safety.
"It doesn't get any clearer that this is a perfect case for that."
The parking on arterial roads policy Turner referred to says the agency will extend clearways or remove parking where it causes safety risks for cyclists.
"The way that they've written it, where they've said it will take months to do it and would have minimal benefit, it just doesn't seem like a good enough reason, to me, to not go ahead with it."
Turner expressed sympathy for the family, and said he no longer bikes along that route because of what happened.
"You're always thinking about it when you're biking along, and you're in a lane and you're trying to keep over so people can go past but then all it takes [is] for someone to throw their door open and you can lose your life."
An Auckland Transport spokesperson said Levi's death was a tragic reminder of the importance of ensuring roads were safe for all users.
While the agency said it was committed to reaching Vision Zero - a policy that aims to stop all road deaths - its engineering team concluded that removing the parking spaces on Manukau Rd in isolation would not be an effective safety improvement.
"When parking spaces are removed without any additional changes, the road space available for cars widens and removes 'side friction', leading to cars driving past at higher speeds."
The spokesperson said if AT was to remove parks and create a short stretch of cycleway near Levi's crash site it would simply be shifting safety issues down the road and creating higher risk points at the beginning and end of the cycleway.
"Instead we believe that a more comprehensive package of safety improvements would be more appropriate to improve cyclist safety along Manukau Rd."
They said a comprehensive safety overhaul of Manukau Rd is planned in coming years as part of the Connected Communities programme, which will include long-term safety improvements such as separated cycle and bus lanes in the area.
"A key pillar of our road safety strategy (Vision Zero) is to implement safe speeds at locations across Tāmaki Makaurau. At its heart, this kaupapa will help protect our most vulnerable road users – cyclists, walkers and anyone else outside vehicles.
"The introduction of safe speeds will go a long way in helping to minimise death and serious injuries on our roads because we know that lower speeds lead to safer outcomes for all road users."
