A 44-year-old man was sentenced to jail last Friday after being found guilty of causing the death of cycling advocate Cameron Frewer. As Nine News reported, Frewer was killed in late 2018 after being hit from behind by a drug affected driver while cycling near his home on the Sunshine Coast. The court heard victim impact statements from Frewer’s family, including his widow Heidi Frewer, who has continued to publicly campaign for cyclist safety after his death.
On Monday a cyclist was killed in Victoria and police are currently appealing to the public for witnesses or those with dash-cam footage of the incident. According to The Mornington Peninsula News, the incident occurred on Frankston-Flinders Road near Shoreham. The 61-year-old driver of the car is assisting police with their inquiries.
As The West Australian reported on Friday, cyclists are the only road user group to have suffered a significant increase in fatalities since 2019. According to a report released by the Australian Automobile Alliance, cyclist deaths have increased by 41.2 per cent since this time last year. The report concludes that even with a general decline in fatalities among other road users, all Australian states will fail to meet their safety targets set by the National Road Safety Strategy.
In Sydney, nine teenagers have been charged by police over a serious assault of a cyclist that left the 36-year-old rider blind in one eye and in a coma. As Daily Mail Australia reported, the man was riding a rented bike in Pyrmont late on Friday night when the group knocked him off his bike and began assaulting him, with one assailant stabbing the man in the eye with a knife. Members of the group were arrested after bragging in text messages and on social media chat about their participation in the assault.
In infrastructure news, South Coast bicycle shop owners have reported an increase in business during the COVID-19 pandemic. As Riot ACT reported on Sunday, business owners are hoping to see a further increase of customers with the opening of the Tarthra to Kalaru Bike Track near Bega in an area already popular with mountain bike riders. Bega Valley Shire Council plans to eventually extend the track all the way to Bega itself, allowing riders to travel the 15-kilometre route from the city to the coast.
Pedalling for Change 