RUN OFF THE ROAD
Serious crashes, daily incidents drive cyclists to despair
A CYCLIST almost killed by a car in Grovedale has pleaded for increased safety on our roads as he still battles the effects of his injuries two years later.
His comments come after two major cycling collisions in the region in recent weeks, which left one man dead last month and another fighting for life last weekend.
A CYCLIST almost killed by a car in Grovedale has pleaded for increased safety on the roads as he still battles the effects of his injuries two years after the collision.
His comments follow two major cycling collisions across the region in recent weeks — leaving one man dead last month and another fighting for life last weekend — and amid claims from cyclists that they are experiencing “daily incidents” with motorists.
Leopold cyclist Fred May was riding along Torquay Road, in Grovedale, in 2019 when a driver turning onto an adjoining street failed to see him. The crash left Mr May with six fractured vertebrae, three broken ribs, a broken collarbone and nerve damage to his throat.
Mr May said he was still recovering and would never be able to ride a bike again.
“The accident is one thing, but it’s the repercussions of what happens to you afterwards,” he said. “I’m in pain 24/7. The injuries I got are still with me.
“I haven’t been able to get back to work in two years. I’ll be battling with this for life.
“Everyday tasks, such as mowing or mopping take twice to three times as long as it normally would — you become depressed because you can’t do the things you were able to do.”
Authorities and bike safety advocates echoed Mr May’s comments, urging motorists and bike riders to look out for each other.
During the past 12 months, Geelong, the Bellarine Peninsula and Surf Coast recorded 54 cyclist collisions involving injuries, with two fatal.
A cyclist who suffered lifethreatening injuries after hitting a van in St Leonards on Saturday remained in a critical condition on Monday.
Last month, another cyclist was killed after colliding with a car on the Great Ocean Road outside Lorne.
Geelong highway patrol Senior Sergeant Craig Stevens asked all road users to be patient and recommended cyclists assess the route and ride on safer roads to minimise risk.
“Police continue to target and enforce the contributors to road trauma to make the roads as safe as possible for all road users,” he said.
“Many of the roads that cyclists use are open roads where the speed limit is 100km/h.
“Drivers need to be aware of other vulnerable road users and provide them with a safety corridor when overtaking.”
Mr May said he still had regular hospital visits, including getting injections into his back to ease the pain.
“My life was cycling and that was taken away from me. It's a very hard thing to understand, and I still don’t understand it,” he said.
Cycling safety advocate Barton Van Laar urged motorists to give cyclists more space, labelling bike riding in the region as “hazardous”.
“At the moment there are a lot of cars on the road, and a lot of cyclists, there are incidents every day,” he said.
“Cyclists are the most vulnerable on the roads and are running out of roads to ride on.”