The Pedal Power Association (PPA) is demanding swift and decisive action by authorities after Gauteng cyclist Darren Fitzgerald was knocked down by a minibus taxi this week.
“Seeing it [the video of the incident] for the first time and not knowing what happens at the end, we were expecting the worst,” PPA CEO Robert Vogel said in a statement.
“We have been on the phone with Darren and he was very lucky to get away with minor injuries. He spent the day after the incident recovering in bed and is on his feet again today [Friday] working through the aftermath of the crash.
“We have made contact with well-placed officials in the national department of transport, Gauteng province, and the City of Joburg, and have sent them the footage and asked them to familiarise themselves with the case and follow the process as it unfolds,” he said.
“There needs to be swift and decisive action as well as consequences for the [taxi] driver. In too many cases cyclists are treated with disrespect on our roads although they are the most vulnerable of road users. Motorists should take as much care in passing a cyclist as they would do when passing another motor vehicle. Both are legal road users.”
In this case, the taxi driver was already breaking a number of road laws and seemed oblivious to the fact that there was a cyclist up ahead. The taxi driver was also endangering the lives of every other motorist on that stretch of road, his passengers, as well as pedestrians on the side of the road. Statistics suggested that the number of unlicensed and unroadworthy vehicles on the roads were increasing, Vogel said.
“The time has come for authorities to take action and to enforce the traffic laws. Cyclists are human beings with families. They are training, going to work, riding to school, visiting a friend, or just enjoying a different kind of mobility with no protection other than a helmet.”
He urged motorists to be more patient and to slow down behind a cyclist and pass only when it was safe to do so, and to then make sure they passed with a gap of at least one metre.
The PPA was aware that some cyclists also broke traffic laws and that these rare actions tarnished all law-abiding cyclists. To ensure safer roads everyone needed to obey the rules of the road, Vogel said.
Taxi hits and runs over a cyclist in the emergency lane
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