A 39-year-old Coorabell woman is in a Brisbane hospital with head and leg injuries after the bicycle she was riding was involved in an accident on Ewingsdale Road near Byron Bay on Wednesday night.
Police are appealing for witnesses to the accident and, due to her condition, are yet to speak to her to see if it was a hit-and-run.
The woman was found lying on the road by a passerby about 300 metres west of McGettigans Lane.
She was taken to Tweed Heads Hospital then later transferred to the Gold Coast where she was reported to be in a serious but stable condition, with multiple fractures.
The accident is believed to have occurred at around 6.30pm as the woman, on a white ladies’ road bike, travelled west along Ewingsdale Road.
The latest accident on that road has sparked a warning by a local cycle club that another cyclist could be killed there unless the cycleway is upgraded all the way to the highway from Byron Bay.
Four cyclists have been injured in accidents on Ewingsdale Road west of McGettigans Lane in the past three years.
Byron Bay Cycle Club told APN Media that Wednesday night’s incident came six months after a well-known local cyclist was killed while cycling along Ewingsdale Rd.
Club president Kumar Rajaratnam said the only way cycling in and out of Byron Bay could be made safe was to construct two separate cycleways on either side of Ewingsdale Road.
Mr Rajaratnam told APN Media that cyclists riding to and from Byron Bay on the cycleway currently have to cross Ewingsdale Road three times ‘which is very dangerous’.
‘If council was serious about addressing the traffic situation in Byron Bay, having cycleways on both sides of Ewingsdale Rd would help eliminate traffic congestion.’
This problem will become only more imperative when the new Byron Central Hospital is built. Any local or backpacker trying to access the new facility as a pedestrian or cyclist from Byron will risk a major injury just getting there in an environmentally responsible manner!
More cycleways would be great but what would be even better is if cyclists actually used them?!
How many times do we see cyclists riding the roads with a vacant cycleway next to them??
I have politely called out to some to let them know ‘there’s a cycle path’ only to have the finger swiftly returned!! The pride!
I know this is not the case in this unfortunate incident. But please cyclists show your safety & appreciation when there are cycle paths & stop putting road users at risk..we don’t drive our cars on the cycleways.
Not all cycle lanes are appropriate for all bikes. Many, crossing driveways etc are only appropriate for speeds up to 10 or 15 km/h. Bikes going faster than that can’t use them and so use the road as they are fully entitled to do. Safety is only compromised by motorist impatience.
Cyclists who refuse to attach suitable lighting to their bicycles are death traps whose irresponsible behaviour ruin many lives. I can’t believe the number of bicycles I pass in the dark with NO lights on their bikes. Police need to take this seriously. Confiscate their bikes. Charge them with dangerous driving. Not only are they risking their own lives but they can kill innocent car drivers trying to avoid them. I have no idea whether this person had lights on their bike but it highlights this issue as one we need to take more seriously.
Now there’s a novel idea. Blame the cyclist.
Most of you seem to be missing the point. It is believed that, driver has knocked this woman off her bike, leaving her with horrific, life threatening injuries and DID NOT STOP. It is irrelevant whether she was riding, walking, running, or pole vaulting. If it was an accident, they happen, stop and help, if it was deliberate then no amount of lights, fluorescent lycra or cycle paths are going to protect us from these disgusting individuals. I hope they are caught and jailed.