A leading figure in cycling has called for a ban on "yellow-line" driving, after a top cyclist was killed in a hit-and-run collision.
|||Cape Town - A leading figure in cycling has called for a ban on “yellow-line” driving, after a top cyclist was killed in a hit-and-run collision.
Koos Roux, 59, of Bloemendal, was killed while riding on Bottelary Road with his son, Kobus, 19, just before sunrise on Sunday.
Roux held a doctorate and was the curator of the Compton Herbarium at Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden, which is the second largest of its kind in southern Africa.
Police confirmed on Monday that Roux had been killed in a hit-and-run, and said no one had been arrested by on Monday morning, 24 hours later. Philip le Roux, curator of the Kirstenbosch gardens and a fellow cyclist, said staff were in shock.
“The organisation is stunned – it’s terrible,” he said. Chris Willemse, who owns a chain of cycling stores, said: “He was cycling in our colours, and I knew him as a client. It’s sad, very sad. That road is a cycling paradise for the northern suburbs. And it was inside the yellow line that they were knocked over.
“I don’t know what more cyclists can do to have our lives not put in danger by motorists. Where else must we ride? We belong on the road, too.”
Willemse called for a ban on vehicles driving in the yellow line, which has become commonplace.
Lourens said a memorial ride would be held on Saturday at 8am, from Bellville Velodrome to the site.
Roux’s son is out of hospital.
Police spokesman André Traut said Roux had been struck by a white LDV (bakkie). “Two men of light complexion were (in the vehicle),” Traut said. “There must be extensive damage to the bonnet and windscreen, as (his) head struck the windscreen.”
Cape Argus