A Tasmanian Coroner has recommended cyclist-specific signage and risk assessments for roadworks following the death of an experienced rider in Kingston in 2022.
Coroner Leigh Mackey made the recommendations after reviewing investigations into the death of a 53-year-old man on Mount Royal Road in Kingston on 22 February 2022. The man died after losing control of his Merida road bike in loose gravel on the road and colliding with an oncoming car.
The death was investigated by Tasmania Police and Worksafe Tasmania as the gravel was left by a Tas Networks crew doing repair work on a cable under the road, so was deemed a worksite under the relevant legislation.
Gravel to blame
Tasmania Police investigated the crash site, specifically testing the level of friction for tyres going over the gravel area and found that it was very difficult to gain traction, equivalent to “driving on ice”.
The Coroner’s report includes a statement from another regular rider along that stretch of road who had ridden it the day before the fatal crash and on the day of the crash. He commented that “the spread of loose stones and sands on the road surface appeared to him to be far greater than was present on the previous morning”.
The Coroner found:
“On the basis of the friction testing and experience of the cyclists when encountering the excavation and gravel on the left hand bend of the road when travelling northward toward Osborne Crescent I find that the presence of the excavation and the gravel on that portion of the road presented an extreme risk to cyclists for losing control of their bike, coming off their bike and/or entering into the oncoming, south bound lane.”
Cyclist signage needed
While signage had been put out next to the road warning of road works and a rough surface ahead, there was no signage to warn of a loose surface or to indicate people riding were at greater risk.
The Coroner noted:
“Whilst the signage was likely adequate to warn motorists as to the level of risk they faced from the roadworks and the excavation, the risk was far greater to cyclists. Cyclists had a significant potential for serious harm and death, particularly noting the location of the roadworks on a sweeping left-hand bend, the downward incline and high potential for destabilisation of a bike encountering debris such as gravel scattered on the road.
“Given the extent and nature of the risk to cyclists and despite the compliance of the signage with Australian Standards other steps may have been usefully taken to further mitigate or remove the risk with cyclists in mind. Those steps could have included the closure of the road to cyclists for the period it would take for the works to have been completed and the gravel to be removed from the road, the use of signage specifically addressing cyclists, the presence of debris on the road and depicting the risk of loss of traction in light of the loose surface or the monitoring and removal of the gravel on the roadway throughout the period until the road was permanently repaired.”
The Worksafe Tasmania investigation agreed, concluding that the use of a “cycling hazard” sign as outlined in the Australian Standard 1742.3:2019 could have “potentially contributed to a heightened level of safety for cyclists during the period of roadwork activities”
Risk assessment for cyclists
The Worksafe Tasmania report also found that risk assessments of worksites needed to specifically consider people riding and such an assessment could result in cycling detours and the content and positioning of signage. It also made the point that assessments required review to be adapted to altering conditions of the worksite.
The Coroner agreed with the findings of the Tasmania Police and Worksafe Tasmania investigations and made the following recommendations:
- “In circumstances where road works or road conditions pose a hazard to cyclists by the presence of debris on a road surface, warning signs advising of a loose surface be used.
- Risk assessments for roadworks should specifically consider the impact of roadworks on cyclists as a vulnerable road user, in addition to other road users, and identify risk mitigation strategies appropriate to each of the categories of road users.”
The Coroner’s full findings can be read at https://www.magistratescourt.tas.gov.au/coronerscourt/findings/coronial-findings-2025
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