Elderly cyclist killed in crash

An elderly cyclist has died after he was hit by a vehicle north of Palmerston North this morning, Friday 7th January 2011.

The crash happened on Railway Rd near Bunnythorpe about 10am, said Constable Darrell Cowan of Ashhurst police.

The 75-year-old man was taken to Palmerston North Hospital with serious injuries but died shortly after, he said.

His name has not yet been released.

Alcohol was not thought to be a factor in the crash, Mr Cowan said.

Further report Manawatu Standard 8/1/11

Cyclists are calling for a safer 2011 after a 75-year-old man became the first person to die on Manawatu roads this year when he was knocked off his bike by a car.

The Manawatu man was cycling from Palmerston North to Bunnythorpe when he was hit by the car on Railway Rd about 10am yesterday.

He was taken to Palmerston North Hospital but died shortly afterwards from serious head injuries.

The accident came two months after Patricia Fraser died after being hit by a car while out cycling with a friend. Her November death sparked a call from cycle advocates for drivers to share the road.

Mrs Fraser was cycling along State Highway 3, near Sanson, when she was struck by a car and killed.

Her husband, Joe Fraser, said it was terribly sad news that another family had been affected by a cycling death.

He hoped lessons from the circumstances surrounding his wife's death would be learned.

Mr Fraser said motorists and cyclists needed to be more accommodating to each other.

"The art of courtesy has been lost."

Mr Fraser said he had just turned a corner in his own grief so he could focus on looking after his family.

"It's been a tough journey."

When hearing of the Bunnythorpe accident, Cycle Aware Manawatu chairwoman Julie Dalziel said "not another one", before adding: "This is an ongoing issue New Zealand-wide, the lack of people showing willingness to share the road, that really needs to be changed."

Cycling groups were in discussions to devise ways to make Manawatu roads safer for cyclists, with research revealing cyclists were rarely at fault when a serious accident occurred, she said.

Mrs Dalziel urged people - whether they were cyclists or drivers - to be aware of what was going on around them.

A keen cyclist herself, Mrs Dalziel said the latest accident wouldn't put her off cycling. "When riding on a city road or country road there is a risk, but there's [a risk] in not riding a bike and not keeping fit."

Ashhurst constable Darrell Cowan said two passing cyclists stopped to assist the man until an ambulance arrived to take him to Palmerston North Hospital.

The female driver of the car that collided with the victim was visibly shaken at the scene.

"She was devastated, absolutely devastated," Mr Cowan said.

Railway Rd was reduced to one lane until about 11.30am and police, including members of the Serious Crash Unit, are investigating the cause of the accident.

Alcohol is not thought to have been a factor in the crash and it is not yet known if charges will be laid in relation to the accident.