The untimely death of Olympic mountain biker Burry Stander (25) has left many teammates and South Africans in general devastated. He was hit by a minibus taxi while on his bike.
Robin Carlisle, minister of transport in the Western Cape, shares his views on the incident.
What was your immediate reaction to the death of Burry Stander?
A terrible and unnecessary tragedy.
Cyclists seem to be victims of road accidents fairly often. How is this influenced by the attitudes of motorists toward cyclists in general and how could and/or should this be tackled?
Far too many motorists see cyclists as a nuisance and have no respect for their rights or space on the roads. Their irritation often translates into dead cyclists. In the Western Cape we have placed huge emphasis on the safety of cyclists, and cycling fatalities have fallen by 30% over the past three years.
Following Stander's death there's been an outcry on social networks for stronger and stricter regulation of taxis. Are current regulations in this regard adequate countrywide? If not, what should be done to improve on this so as to minimise taxi-related accidents?
We have already approved a new regulation that requires motorists passing cyclists to leave a gap of 1.5 m between them. That regulation comes into effect in February. The other provinces should do the same.
- Click here to read more about Stander's death on News24.com.