Teenage cyclist killed by concrete mixer driver in New Zealand due to “vehicle-centric” roadworks blocking cycle lane, coroner finds

The death of a teenage cyclist, who was killed instantly when a HGV driver turned left in front of her, was caused by “vehicle-centric” traffic management at roadworks, a coroner’s report in New Zealand has found.

Fyfa Dawson was cycling through a 30kph traffic management site on Springs Road, Prebbleton, 10km southwest of Christchurch, during construction of the nearby Christchurch Southern Motorway on 30 October 2019, when she was struck and killed after a concrete mixer driver failed to see her on the pavement as he turned left into the work site.

The 19-year-old, an experienced cyclist who spent three months in the United States cycling 5,000 miles the previous year, was on her way to her barbering course in Christchurch, riding her usual route, when she was killed. She sustained severe injuries in the crash and died instantly at the scene.

The concrete mixer driver was not charged by police, after telling officers that Dawson was in his “bling spot” at the time of the collision.

A coroner’s report published this week heavily criticised the temporary traffic management system deployed at the site, which coroner Ruth Thomas concluded was “vehicle-centric” and lacking clear marking and communication for vulnerable road users.

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According to the report, a one-metre-wide sealed shoulder for cyclists was specified in the traffic management plan.

However, part of that cycle lane was completely blocked by road cones when Dawson approached it at around 8am, just before the fatal crash, forcing her to choose between the road or the pedestrian footway. Cyclists were expected to merge with motor traffic on the road at this point, but there were no signs in place informing them that this was the case.

The 19-year-old instead chose to ride on the pathway, which the coroner said was in a complete blind spot for heavy vehicle drivers, meaning she could not be seen.

There was also no gate controller on site to stop vulnerable road users crossing when HGV drivers were entering or exiting the work site gate. Road users were also not given clear information about what parts of the path or road pedestrians or cyclists should use, a factor that also contributed to the fatal collision.

If a gate controller had been stationed at the gate or advanced technologies had been used, such as sensors that activate warnings, they may have “reduced the risk of Ms Dawson’s death”, the coroner reported.

The report found that Dawson was killed when the concrete truck driver slowed to turn left into the work site, striking her, the driver later telling police that he’d checked his mirror before turning and saw no-one approaching.

He continued into the work site, unaware of the collision. However, another lorry driver who witnessed the crash sounded his horn, while a member of the public stopped their car and ran back to the scene, calling emergency services.

The 19-year-old’s death highlighted systemic errors in how traffic management schemes were implemented, Thomas said.

“The design and implementation of the temporary traffic management was fundamentally vehicle-centric, and the cyclist tragically lost her life,” she said in the report.

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The long and complex inquiry into Dawson’s death also included a police decision-making process on whether criminal charges were required, as well as a WorkSafe investigation.

Following the fatal collision, WorkSafe, New Zealand’s primary health and safety regulator, filed charges against the two roadworks operators, McConnell Dowell Constructors and Downer New Zealand.

However, the charges were dropped after the companies agreed to make binding agreements worth almost $1.7 million (around £750,000) to contribute to safety work.

The companies changed their traffic management plans, increasing oversight at gates, improving signage, and introducing thorough training, including a requirement for staff to check work sites by cycling through them.

The companies also made a reparation payment to Dawson’s family and installed a memorial plaque by the site.

Coroner Thomas recognised in her findings that a shift in how traffic management is approached had also occurred across the industry since Dawson’s death six years ago, including a new focus on a risk-based approach to the design and implementation of plans, which includes an appreciation of the needs of cyclists.

“Cyclists must be a key part of the design and delivery of temporary traffic management plans during roadworks,” the report said. “I acknowledge industry changes have been made since 2019, and some lessons learned.

“However, it must not be forgotten, Ms Dawson’s death has illustrated system-level errors in the implementation of a vehicle-centric temporary traffic management plan which did not clearly communicate to road users where cyclists should ride and did not provide satisfactory options for cyclists.”

The coroner also recommended a new protocol for minimum vehicle standards, which would usher in new nationwide standards for heavy vehicles, bringing them in line with Australian and British guidelines.

Speaking to the New Zealand Herald following the report’s publication, Fyfa’s aunt Caryn Dawson said that the coroner’s findings had confirmed what the family had long believed.

“She was failed by the latent flaws in the vehicle-centric design of the temporary traffic management system,” she said.

“A safe and satisfactory route for cyclists was not provided, and as a result, Fyfa lost her life.

“The impact of her loss is beyond words. First, she was let down by inadequate planning and then again, by a system too slow to respond. Much needs to change.”

Fyfa’s mother, Sarah Campbell, also told RNZ that her daughter was an “adventurous spirit”, who lost her life due to “negligence”.

Reflecting on her solo ride in the United States in 2018, covering 8,000km from the Rocky Mountains and along the west coast, Campbell said: “It’s very ironic that she did all of that in America and then came home and was killed less than three kilometres from her home. I’m grateful she had the adventure, she fit a lot of life into 19 years.”

She continued: “Clearly if there had been a stop/go person at that site she wouldn’t have died. They dropped the ball.

“They didn’t make a safe entrance-exit site. I guess I’m aware that we’re human and there’s always going to be mistakes made.

“My daughter lost her life. She was 19, so there’s 60 years of life that she doesn’t get to experience. End of her story.

“Her siblings lost a sister, her parents have lost a daughter, a lot of people have lost a friend. Because of negligence.”