1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,480 Speaker 1: It's often a conversation we have in the build up 2 00:00:02,520 --> 00:00:05,480 Speaker 1: to any Captain Cycle tour, the need for all of 3 00:00:05,559 --> 00:00:08,680 Speaker 1: us to learn to share the road. Sadly, yesterday was 4 00:00:08,760 --> 00:00:12,440 Speaker 1: yet another reminder of why it's important for those who 5 00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:18,360 Speaker 1: are driving motorized vehicles to respect and share the learn 6 00:00:18,440 --> 00:00:21,120 Speaker 1: to share the road with those who are on bicycles. 7 00:00:21,360 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 1: Joining me now via Zoom is the chief executive of 8 00:00:23,840 --> 00:00:28,520 Speaker 1: paddle Power, Neil Robinson. Neil firstly, condolences. I do know 9 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:35,040 Speaker 1: that you were friends with the deceased. Let's perhaps start 10 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:37,559 Speaker 1: from the beginning for those who did not follow the 11 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:41,839 Speaker 1: story on EAW and throughout the day today. What happened? 12 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:45,279 Speaker 2: Good afternoon, Yeah, thanks Africa, thanks for having me out. 13 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:49,760 Speaker 2: It's a very sad day. It happened yesterday morning. The incident, 14 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:53,360 Speaker 2: the crash where a text he was overtaking a number 15 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:58,120 Speaker 2: of vehicles coming down from London into Campis Bay and 16 00:00:58,840 --> 00:01:02,920 Speaker 2: ve it across the road and hit Land in Lagrange, 17 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:06,920 Speaker 2: which I'll talk to in a second, and fortunately missed 18 00:01:06,920 --> 00:01:08,880 Speaker 2: the other cyclist. There was a group of about sixteen 19 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:14,360 Speaker 2: cyclists riding together. Land and suffered severe injuries at the scene. 20 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:20,199 Speaker 2: He was airlifted to hospital, and I must just say 21 00:01:20,240 --> 00:01:23,039 Speaker 2: that I must give a shout out. Richard, who was 22 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:26,160 Speaker 2: riding with him, his best friend, said that they were 23 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:30,640 Speaker 2: absolutely superb, the medics who arrived, the police, et cetera. 24 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:33,520 Speaker 2: They were very professional, and he just wanted me to 25 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:37,240 Speaker 2: say thank you. So he was airlifted to hospital in 26 00:01:37,319 --> 00:01:44,360 Speaker 2: Cape Town, suffered severe injuries, was kept interbated overnight. He 27 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:48,200 Speaker 2: also had two broken arms that had to to amputate 28 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:53,920 Speaker 2: his left leg just above the knee last night. And 29 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:58,440 Speaker 2: I kept in touch with his wife overnight and he 30 00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:03,280 Speaker 2: sadly his injuries this morning, good morning, where his heart 31 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:11,040 Speaker 2: just couldn't couldn't deal with it. And yeah, he passed away. 32 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:16,400 Speaker 1: As I said, he was your friend and he was 33 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:21,639 Speaker 1: known to you. His name land On Lagrange. What will 34 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:22,919 Speaker 1: you remember about him, Neil? 35 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:26,960 Speaker 2: It was a good guy. He was a fuller then 36 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:30,840 Speaker 2: full of life. He was such a great athlete, a 37 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:33,639 Speaker 2: family man, a great businessman. Really a nice chap he was. 38 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:38,079 Speaker 2: He was well loved by his family's community. I mean 39 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:41,440 Speaker 2: at the hospital last night there was and I saw 40 00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:44,000 Speaker 2: thirty forty to fifty people coming in and out of 41 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:49,120 Speaker 2: the hospital to tuition goodwill, good health. He was a 42 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:52,200 Speaker 2: really good guy. He took life by the scruff of 43 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 2: the neck. He was always a can do guy. As 44 00:02:56,600 --> 00:03:00,480 Speaker 2: I said, a really good cyclist. But sadly with his 45 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:03,800 Speaker 2: family are going to miss him down I really we 46 00:03:03,919 --> 00:03:08,560 Speaker 2: send our heartfelt thoughts in praise and condolences to his family. 47 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:12,639 Speaker 2: It's not an easy thing, you know. The second community 48 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:16,880 Speaker 2: is sadly goes through these things far too often for 49 00:03:17,320 --> 00:03:19,400 Speaker 2: various reasons, which I'm sure we'll talk to a minute. 50 00:03:19,400 --> 00:03:22,240 Speaker 2: But but yeah, he was just a great guy, really 51 00:03:22,240 --> 00:03:24,960 Speaker 2: super guy. 52 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:29,040 Speaker 1: When we last had to have this conversation, it was 53 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:34,680 Speaker 1: in December, if memory serves, there was an incident in 54 00:03:34,760 --> 00:03:39,400 Speaker 1: Mellypoint before people were gathering in Melipoint before riding to 55 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:44,240 Speaker 1: Maiden's Cove in memory of Idris Sheriff who was killed 56 00:03:44,280 --> 00:03:46,960 Speaker 1: in a car crash after colliding with a driver who 57 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 1: was allegedly drunk. And then you read the point that 58 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:56,160 Speaker 1: it's not about motorcyclist. Sorry, it's not about cyclists versus motorists, 59 00:03:56,200 --> 00:04:00,480 Speaker 1: but rather a law breakers versus law abiding road users. 60 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:03,400 Speaker 1: That continues to be the challenge here, isn't. 61 00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:06,520 Speaker 2: It one hundred percent? I mean, the problem in Africa 62 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:09,880 Speaker 2: is we are a lawless society, There's no question about it, 63 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:12,760 Speaker 2: because of the policing or lack thereof sometimes from a 64 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:16,640 Speaker 2: resourcing point of view, the prosecutions, the challenges they face 65 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:19,720 Speaker 2: around the NPA, what they do, how they do it, 66 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:22,960 Speaker 2: and then the punishments that sometimes doesn't put the crime 67 00:04:23,080 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 2: in many occasions, so perpetrains get away with murder literally sometimes. 68 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:29,560 Speaker 2: And I'm not saying this was anything like that. I'm 69 00:04:29,560 --> 00:04:33,720 Speaker 2: saying generally speaking, people are upgraded in this country around 70 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:37,560 Speaker 2: so many different facets of lawlesses in South Africa. Now 71 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:40,400 Speaker 2: we can all point a finger, but if you're doing 72 00:04:40,440 --> 00:04:42,680 Speaker 2: sixty two to sixty zone, you're breaking the law. And 73 00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:45,520 Speaker 2: I've done it, so I've broken the law many times. 74 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:49,599 Speaker 2: We should all just try. I mean, I teach my 75 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:53,960 Speaker 2: children when no one's watching, do the right thing. Make 76 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:56,360 Speaker 2: sure that you're respectful in what you do and how 77 00:04:56,360 --> 00:04:58,440 Speaker 2: you treat other human beings. And that goes to when 78 00:04:58,480 --> 00:05:01,159 Speaker 2: people use the roads and they share the Psychists have 79 00:05:01,200 --> 00:05:03,159 Speaker 2: a right to be on the road even if there's 80 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:07,120 Speaker 2: no cycling lane or no shoulder Cychists have a right 81 00:05:07,160 --> 00:05:11,280 Speaker 2: to be on certain roads around the country. So yeah, 82 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:13,680 Speaker 2: sure motrists have the cars, they have the power and 83 00:05:13,720 --> 00:05:18,680 Speaker 2: they have the protection cychus don't pedetrious done so quar 84 00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:20,840 Speaker 2: too much of this is happening all over the country. 85 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:23,159 Speaker 2: You know, we don't care about many of these things 86 00:05:23,160 --> 00:05:26,440 Speaker 2: because they're in very poor rural areas, which doesn't get 87 00:05:26,480 --> 00:05:30,240 Speaker 2: reported properly. There's sketchy details around a lot of these things. 88 00:05:30,279 --> 00:05:34,720 Speaker 2: But if anything good again comes out of something tragic 89 00:05:34,839 --> 00:05:38,320 Speaker 2: like this, I really hope that we can summer look 90 00:05:38,360 --> 00:05:41,080 Speaker 2: at ourselves as human beings. I behave our culture in 91 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:44,839 Speaker 2: this country and take a leaf out of I'm not 92 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:47,920 Speaker 2: going to go to Europe Japan thing, but I think 93 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:49,640 Speaker 2: we need to really have a look at ourselves in 94 00:05:49,680 --> 00:05:52,080 Speaker 2: the mirror sometimes and we got people are human beings 95 00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:54,640 Speaker 2: on bikes, people are human beings. And cars they're not 96 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:57,560 Speaker 2: just robots or people you try and get a one 97 00:05:57,640 --> 00:06:01,560 Speaker 2: up and ship against in traffic. It's quite ridiculous and 98 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:02,320 Speaker 2: it has to stop. 99 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:09,279 Speaker 1: What does stricter enforcement entail. How do you see this 100 00:06:09,880 --> 00:06:11,760 Speaker 1: being realized, Neil? 101 00:06:13,920 --> 00:06:15,840 Speaker 2: So I'll go back to the cell phones when they 102 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:22,000 Speaker 2: came into existence. Then you had the car rule around 103 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:27,160 Speaker 2: hands free kits, when the police patrolled that for many months, 104 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:32,159 Speaker 2: Motris behavior changed because they were these ghost swods which 105 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:34,680 Speaker 2: stopped sweeps on cars and if people were talking on 106 00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:37,839 Speaker 2: the cell phones, they've got hefty fines. And that behavior 107 00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:40,560 Speaker 2: slowly changed. Obviously, the cars now updated and they've got 108 00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:42,800 Speaker 2: hands for all of them, most of them have, but 109 00:06:42,880 --> 00:06:45,600 Speaker 2: in those days they did not an acquisis of their change. 110 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:48,360 Speaker 2: We also need to look at instances like the blue 111 00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:54,599 Speaker 2: dot taxis, which were again a public service transport mechanism, 112 00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:57,720 Speaker 2: but they got rewarded for good behavior. Discovery does it 113 00:06:57,760 --> 00:07:00,560 Speaker 2: well in the private sector around how there will good 114 00:07:00,600 --> 00:07:03,760 Speaker 2: behavior for insurance premium. So there is ways to do it, 115 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:06,640 Speaker 2: but I think it goes hand in hand with proper 116 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:11,400 Speaker 2: prosecutions and actually calling out these criminals for what they are. 117 00:07:12,040 --> 00:07:14,679 Speaker 2: I personally think we are far too soft on criminals 118 00:07:14,720 --> 00:07:16,960 Speaker 2: in this country and it's something needs to be done 119 00:07:16,960 --> 00:07:20,840 Speaker 2: about it drastically. Talking from a pure and we were 120 00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:23,520 Speaker 2: in a national organization, but talking from a living in 121 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:28,360 Speaker 2: the Western Cape personally, we have And then when he 122 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:30,360 Speaker 2: says it all the time, the premiere, we don't have 123 00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:32,480 Speaker 2: control over SAPs, so you know, what do you do 124 00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:36,400 Speaker 2: in these circumstances. There's a complete lack of resources. When 125 00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:39,000 Speaker 2: one person, sorry, when thicky people have to share one 126 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:42,200 Speaker 2: PC computer. That says it all from a SAPs point 127 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:42,520 Speaker 2: of view. 128 00:07:42,680 --> 00:07:46,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, Richard in the Wilderness asking is the taxi driver 129 00:07:46,120 --> 00:07:47,360 Speaker 1: in custody do you happen to know? 130 00:07:47,440 --> 00:07:52,520 Speaker 2: Neil, No, he's not in custody. They apparently, I'm told 131 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:56,200 Speaker 2: they're interviewed in this morning. I'm waiting to hear back 132 00:07:56,280 --> 00:07:59,480 Speaker 2: from SAPs around what's happened. We provided a whole lot 133 00:07:59,480 --> 00:08:03,520 Speaker 2: of witness details too SAPs this morning as well, because 134 00:08:03,560 --> 00:08:07,040 Speaker 2: there were multiple witnesses used today in cause and obviously 135 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:10,640 Speaker 2: in the group that London was cycling in. So we 136 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:16,040 Speaker 2: have eyewitness reports of what happened. But again it's up 137 00:08:16,080 --> 00:08:18,440 Speaker 2: to SAPs and the investigation as to how this goes for. 138 00:08:19,080 --> 00:08:22,480 Speaker 1: All Right, Neil once again conolences to you, the cycling 139 00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:25,480 Speaker 1: community and of course to the family of London Lagrange. 140 00:08:25,960 --> 00:08:29,840 Speaker 1: Neil Robinson is the chief executive of Pedal Power Association.