The cyclists family hope others are inspired by his life. Photo / Supplied
The cyclists family hope others are inspired by his life. Photo / Supplied
A teenager killed while riding his bike in suburban Auckland is being remembered as a kind-hearted son who loved to support his school's rugby team and rebuild old motorcycles with his dad.
Kim James told the Herald her boy Levi, who died in a crash involving a people-mover van in Royal Oak on Saturday, took hold of every opportunity and was a spark in their family.
"It's the most devastating thing ever, I could never have imagined what it would have been like, and now that we're in the middle of it there's nothing worse."
Levi was hit on Manukau Rd near the Royal Oak roundabout - a stretch of road that has been subject to safety concerns and analysis for many years, with suggestions not enough has been done to keep road users, especially cyclists, safe.
Kim James believed the 19-year-old was on his way to visit his grandmother when he was killed.
"My mum had lost her husband, my dad, about two and a half years ago and he would visit her quite often."
James said her son had only recently bought the bicycle so he could start training for triathlons.
Through tears, she told the Herald they were brokenhearted by Levi's death, but she wanted to encourage people to value the time they have with their families.
The extended time spent together during summer and last year's lockdown was now "so precious", she said.
James told the Herald they took their boat out for the first time, enjoying water skiing and wakeboarding.
"Who knew, we had last year where we had a lot of time together, we just so appreciate it now looking back," she said.
"We're not a perfect family but we were a very close and loving family."
Because of the crash, a post-mortem examination was necessary and the family are unable to see Levi's body.
"This is the process they have to do but it causes more pain for families, just the waiting and the not knowing when you'll even get a chance to see him. But we're not going to be able to see him, he was just so badly hurt," James said.
Since his death, she said the family was surprised by how wide Levi's connections were.
He was a proud old boy of Auckland Grammar School and was a keen supporter of their rugby games.
Levi and his bike. Photo / Supplied
An engineering student, Levi loved restoring old bikes and had recently restored an old motorbike with his dad. They had just bought a second bike to fix up.
He also loved singing and making music, James said.
"He'd usually get inspiration quite late at night so quite often we'd be saying to Levi, you know maybe not now [is] the time to get the amp on and the music going.
"He was always fully committed to whatever he was interested in at the time."
She said Levi, who has three brothers, also had a "very personal faith".
"I think people knew [about his faith], even if he hadn't actually told them. Some of the posts from his friends just say he was just the most kindhearted, caring, genuine person that they knew."
Friends and family wrote that his adventurous spirit would forever be remembered and that he had a generous heart.
Others were fond of his warm and enthusiastic personality.
James told the Herald Levi had a big perspective on life, and he was a good friend, son and grandson.
"He valued being with people, he was never happier than when he was with a bunch of friends or family. So we say that it's just so sad that we have a house full of people that loved him and we just so know he would have loved to be in the middle of it all.
"He was so loved, and he loved so many of us, and we knew it."
'Where do we put our fury and our grief?'
In a post on the Greater Auckland website yesterday - titled 'Where do we put our fury and our grief? - writers described the death as needless, with speculation the cyclist may have swerved to avoid a car door being opened.
"This weekend's fatality happened on a road that's identified in [Auckland Transport's] Future Connect planning documents as a priority regional route on the strategic cycling network," said the post.
"Here's what the road currently looks like. Parking lane, driving lane, painted median, driving lane, bus stop/ parking lane.
"Remember, AT's own Parking Policy says street parking should be removed if it endangers people on bikes. And it's not like there's any shortage of off-road parking in this neighbourhood. Every shop is a few steps away from a parking space that doesn't create a door-zone danger strip for people on bikes."
The Greater Auckland post said the broader location of the tragedy – the Royal Oak roundabout and its feeder roads – "was the subject of a safety improvements consultation in late 2019. Public feedback called on AT to make the roads safer for bikes. In fact, it was the strongest feedback theme".
"And yet, safety recommendations by cycling advocates were not acted on, even simple suggestions for tactical improvements. And improvements recommended by an independent safety review were not implemented either."
The writers said the death was the 10th on Auckland roads in just 10 weeks.
"A person's life has ended; their friends and family are bereft. Other people's lives have been changed irrevocably in a split second, because the road design did not protect everyone on the street."
• Levi's funeral is being held on March 19, and while numbers are restricted due to Covid a live video link will be available on his Facebook page.
