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PPA mourns death of cyclist in Cape Town

· By Press Office · 0 comments

Just before 07h00 on Sunday morning 31 July, a cyclist was killed only three minutes away from his home in Thornton. The 41-year-old Randall Februarie, an IT Technician, husband and father of 3, was out for his usual early morning Sunday ride.

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A white VW Jetta accelerated to try and beat the robot turning red in Viking Road and connected Februarie at high speed from behind, flinging him some 50m through the air, after which the driver fled the scene of the accident. Februarie died on the scene from his injuries.

A 32-year-old man from Langa was arrested later the afternoon after handing himself over to the police. He was charged with culpable homicide and reckless and negligent driving and taken into custody. He appeared in court on Monday 01 August.

“We are truly saddened by this unnecessary incident,” said Pedal Power Association CEO, Robert Vogel. “This is even more tragic since the Western Cape was the first province to pass a ‘safe passing distance’ law in 2013, making it compulsory for motorists to pass cyclists with a berth of at least 1m.”

Vogel explained that statistics show 84% of cycling accidents are caused by vehicles connecting cyclists from behind at speed; not passing cyclists at a safe distance; or cyclists not being visible.

The Pedal Power Association has for 40 years been promoting making our roads safer for cyclists. “As the safety of all our cyclists, from commuters to sports cyclists, is top of mind, PPA annually pours millions into a safe cycling campaign to educate road users about the vulnerability of cyclists on the roads,” Vogel explained.

“Our objective is to educate all road users to be tolerant, respectful and courteous towards each other on the road,” he added.

The Association promote the slogans ‘Please Share the Road’ and ‘Stay Wider of the Rider’ throughout South Africa. “Anecdotal evidence is that motorists are currently giving cyclists a wider berth, but there are still so many people who need to be educated on how vulnerable cyclists really are on our roads,” Vogel said.

A memorial service for Februarie will take place on Wednesday at 19h00, while his cycling club is organising a memorial ride to honour his life. The funeral takes place Saturday 7 August t 11h15 at the Desire of All Nations Church in Ottery.

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