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A bicyclist died at a “nightmare” Christchurch intersection just days after concerned residents met with transportation officials to discuss the possibility of adding safety measures.
Emergency crews responded to the accident on Brougham St, near the intersection of Christchurch Southern Motorway and Simeon St in Addington, just before 8 p.m. Thursday.
A police spokeswoman said the rider was taken to Christchurch Hospital in critical condition and later died.
Stuff understands that the cyclist, a man in his 50s, was crossing the street when the truck struck him.
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A witness to the accident, who asked not to be named, said he was driving in the westbound lane on Brougham St just before 8 p.m. when he saw the bicyclist crossing the road at a controlled intersection near Collins St. He was not sure if the cyclist had a green light to cross.
He then saw the headlights of a vehicle traveling in the eastbound lane towards the cyclist “blink”, shortly before it struck the man.
“I thought it was strange and when I got a little closer, he turned off the lights and I saw what had happened. I only blinked because [the cyclist] it was in front of him for a fraction of a second. ”
Joseph Johnson / Stuff
Police at the scene of the accident Thursday night.
He said the crossing was “a nightmare.”
“There is converging traffic, as well as a stoplight that a lot of people don’t expect to be there when they leave the highway.
The cause of the accident is being investigated, a police spokeswoman said.
It is understood that the van had left the highway and was in a 60km / h zone when it collided with the cyclist.
Addington School Board Chairman Jo Robertson said that for the past three years the school had been lobbying the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA), Christchurch City Council and local MPs to add security measures. to the intersection of Brougham and Collins streets.
“We have been really concerned about that intersection for a long time. They have pushed us from one agency to another and none of them really say they will do anything about it. “
The school finally made a breakthrough after meeting with the Spreydon-Cashmere Community Board, representatives from NZTA, a road safety advocate, and students and parents on Tuesday.
“We said that the intersection is really dangerous and someone is going to be injured or killed in it.
“I feel like we finally got some traction this week, but it’s too late.”
Robertson said NZTA assured them it would add signs to the intersection and would consider remodeling it in the long-term plan for Brougham St.
She said the recent death was “really unfortunate” given the schools’ continued lobbying, and she felt for the man’s family.
“It’s just heartbreaking, I feel very sad for the driver of the truck and for the family. [of the cyclist] … is too close to home. “
Joseph Johnson / Stuff
It is understood that the van had left the highway and was in a 60km / h zone when it collided with the cyclist.
An NZTA spokeswoman said the death was a “tragedy.”
“The New Zealand Transport Agency is committed to reducing fatalities and serious injuries on our roads, including specific work aimed at improving the safety of people who ride bicycles.
“We never lose sight of the real human loss and mourning for every death on our roads and highways.”
He said that work was being done to make Brougham St and Moorhouse Ave safer.
Brougham’s work would include public transportation routes, safer walking and biking access via the busy highway, intersection improvements, and ensuring better traffic flow to keep cargo moving.
The work was expected to begin in late 2022 and take two years to complete.
The spokeswoman said that NZTA had received around 12 complaints regarding security on Brougham St between 2012 and 2019.
None of the complaints specifically referred to the crosswalk at the intersection with Collins St.
Leanne Baird said that she and her daughter used the “extremely dangerous” crossing on a daily basis.
He had witnessed many accidents between motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, and believed that the crossing needed a “major change” in design.
“Speed is also an important factor, as trucks and cars go through red and orange lights. It is only a matter of time before another death occurs in this area. ”
Nineteen more have died on Canterbury roads so far this year, 13 fewer than at the same time last year, according to NZTA data.
At least 27 other crashes have occurred on the stretch of Brougham St where it intersects Simeon and Collins streets since January 2000.
Two resulted in serious injuries, eight caused moderate injuries, and 17 were non-injuries.
