Safety of Cyclists Comes First

On Saturday, 15 September 2012, Western Cape Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Dr Ivan Meyer, joined the community of Oudtshoorn to honour three cyclists who died on the road two years ago. Jan Eloff, Magda van Lill and Frank Nel were killed by a motorist on 8 March 2010 on the outskirts of the town.

People from the community and cyclists from the South Western District Cycling Federation (SWDCF) gathered at a wreath-laying ceremony at the accident scene. In the wake of this tragic event, the Western Cape Government launched the Safely Home campaign to create greater road safety awareness and to promote the safety of cyclists and pedestrians. Motorists have been urged to observe a safe distance when driving past cyclists, that is, a distance of at least 1.5 metres.

Dr Meyer expressed his condolences to the families, friends and fellow cyclists. After a moment’s silence in remembrance of the victims, the minister said, “Together we can prevent incidents on roads when we all obey these rules and put the safety of cyclists first.”

Mr Corné Bence, president of SWDCF, said that the community would remember this day for a long time.