The vulnerability of cyclists on our open roads has once again been highlighted with two cyclists hit by a motor vehicle near Taupo.
The husband and wife were, according to his brother, riding single file on Poihipi Rd just out of Taupo when they were hit by a 4WD, presumably from behind although full details have yet to emerge. The couple were seriously injured and those who have been lobbying for that road to be widened are renewing their calls for something to be done urgently.
With investigations ongoing, no blame has been laid with either party involved and it may well be that the road itself was a major factor. Popular with cyclists, it has been labelled a "death trap" by one cycling advocate and as we report today, the local cycling fraternity say it's an area of narrow stretches where there are plenty of near misses.
Both local and central government have, for some years now, encouraged people to take up cycling for both environmental and health reasons and cycling has certainly become increasingly popular throughout New Zealand. The creation of cycle ways throughout the country is progressing but there is plenty more that could be done to ensure routes which are popular with locals are safe for both vehicles and cyclists.
Unfortunately, improvements to our roads to ensure all users are safe have not kept up with the increasing number of cyclists and in recent years we have had a number of horrific incidents, some of them fatal.
