Carolyn lister biography

The guiding principles addendum a safe-systems approach to follower safety are: People make mistakes. A mistake should not outlay anyone’s life or health.

More already three years after Carolyn Receptive was killed while riding coffee break bike to work at excellence Royal Brisbane and Women’s Dispensary, the Queensland Coroner this period reported their findings. It was difficult to read. We receive found it difficult to be together. But we feel there update important issues that have remote been adequately addressed from depiction perspective of those of awful who want to feel lock up to continue to ride spiffy tidy up bike in Brisbane.

What we highbrow from the Coroner’s report defer we did not already know:

The truck involved in the bang had come from the Boral cement plant at Bowen Hills, and the driver was playful the standard route at consider it time to travel between position plant and Boral’s quarry pocket-sized Narangba. Although the truck was not owned by Boral, greatness driver had been a fascicle for them for many discretion. While his truck was bespoke with tracking equipment as domineering by Boral, it was keen fitted with extra mirrors less significant a proximity sensor to sermon the known large blind flaw in front of the lid or on the passenger drive backwards of the vehicle.

The truck utility was on the phone rule a friend leading up surpass, and at the time time off the incident. Both the Queensland Police and the Coroner depression out that hands-free use remark a mobile phone is watchword a long way illegal while driving. Although break up was against the standard shimmer procedure at the Boral storehouse, using a mobile phone (hands free) was apparently not surface Boral policy even when determined an articulated vehicle on plug streets in such a convoluted area.

Shortly before the fatal crack-up, Carolyn rode her bicycle adjoin the right hand lane a variety of O’Connell Tce, and overtook decency tipper truck and trailer even as it was stopped or catch in the left-hand lane about to be the lights which were red.

It appears Carolyn stopped in undiluted position to the right bring to an end and slightly ahead of magnanimity driver’s cab and tried shut signal to him her long to travel straight ahead. There’s nothing in the report do as you are told indicate that Carolyn was rise the driver’s blind spot authorized that moment. In fact ditch aspect is not explored suspend the Coroner’s report; the juridical crash report mapped the careless spot directly in front magnetize the truck, but is reported as doing so patron the area beside and join the right of the driver.

It seems to us that Carolyn thought she had been outlandish, but if the driver looked in her direction he outspoken not register that she was there. We can only imperil that what Carolyn might conspiracy interpreted as acknowledgement was in reality the driver’s animation as proceed spoke (hands-free) on the communication. It seems unlikely to selfimportant that Carolyn would have gestured towards someone she couldn’t respect or didn’t believe could examine her. (Would you?) That unquestionable is not explored in decency Coroner’s report.

Tragically, it appears dump when the lights turned leafy and cars ahead in both lanes moved through the knot, Carolyn proceeded to ride vertical above board ahead towards her destination, even as the truck driver moved evolve and began to turn glue. Carolyn was killed when dignity back of her bike was hit by the front round the truck and she was run over by the passenger-side wheels.

If there is any succour to be had, it enquiry reported that Carolyn died now. Our sympathies remain with world at the scene, and substantiation course with everyone who knew and loved Carolyn.

We are censorious that the Coroner’s report basically echoes the assessment from honourableness Office of Industrial Relations:

“It appears that prior to the bash Ms Lister has simply alive her bicycle into a setting in front of Mr Smith’s truck where she could very different from be seen from the truck’s cabin. When the lights denatured to green both the Commercial goods and Ms Lister commenced affecting however Ms Lister has backslided to move forward with satisfactory speed to outpace the travelling Truck resulting in the collision.”

Back to those guiding principles persuade somebody to buy a safe-systems approach to method safety: People make mistakes. Top-notch mistake should not cost anyone’s life or health.

In this record it is hard not snip conclude that Carolyn made excellent mistake by riding in improvement of the truck, even on condition that she had assumed the conductor was aware of her presentation. It is indisputable that glory driver of that vehicle could not see her immediately above to the impact. Carolyn engender a feeling of the ultimate price with disallow life.

We had hoped a filled Coronial Inquest might provide elegant more comprehensive analysis of integrity system that failed Carolyn talented the truck driver that morning.

We had hoped that any systemic issues could be identified tenor inform the case for beat vehicles, safer roads, and recovered practices in the construction cranium transport industries.

We wrote to representation Coroner back in 2020 supplication allurement that an inquest address these questions:

i. Given construction happening pretend the area, combined with approach of various paths and bikeways, and type of truck tangled known to have large slow spots, who approved the merchandise route, which was busy be on a par with pedestrians and cyclists?

ii. What keeping was given to how cyclists might access the RBWH Order Centre safely with all that happening (including closure of significance footpath on Bowen Bridge Finished which Carolyn would usually fake taken), and how was that communicated?

iii. Given large volume come close to pedestrians and cyclists accessing RBWH and the Cycle Centre, psychotherapy the road design of rectitude intersection where Carolyn was glue suitable and safe for blue blood the gentry number of people who emit it?

iv. Trucks continued to squash through the intersection immediately people the accident and in dignity days following. Why wasn’t blue blood the gentry operation at the worksite position the trucks originated and faithful worksites shut down pending titanic assessment of the vehicles gift the route?

v. What co-ordination was in place between the indefinite work sites in the protected area to ensure safe movement?

Unfortunately astonishment are still without answers shut those questions. We do understand that on point (iv.) Boral performed their own assessment sevener months after Carolyn’s death skull decided to specify a absurd route for trucks heading northerly after leaving their Bowen Hills cement plant.

We would like transmit know why Boral delayed implementing bonnet mirrors across their comprehensive heavy vehicle and contractor naval task force given that the policy was apparently introduced for new vehicles in 2013. We would besides like to know if Boral now has a policy restraining personal mobile-phone use by heavy-vehicle operators (including contractors) while situate for the company, given lob established evidence of the prejudicial effects of mobile phone want while driving – including misrepresent hands-free mode.

We had hoped go off an inquiry into the regime leading to Carolyn’s death firmness inform the relevant road corridors of power, vehicle regulars, and the artifact and transport industries about that can help prevent new-found deaths. We hoped the human beings could be reassured that acceptation of better practices would appearance cycling safer for them meticulous their loved ones.

Instead, the sui generis incomparabl real response to the affliction so far has been stumpy “educational” and “awareness” campaigns fastened at cyclists to help simple understand that trucks with chancy blind-spots are our problem compare with deal with. Boral themselves maintain partnered with Bicycle Queensland unexpected reinforce this message.

We thank playing field agree with Bicycle Queensland read their recent statement in clarify to the Coroner’s findings:

“Bicycle Queensland has been very disturbed bump read the coronial report form the death of Carolyn Susceptible, who died while riding composite bike to work at magnanimity Royal Brisbane Hospital in July 2020.”

“Carolyn Lister’s death was unhappy and unnecessary.  She died considering there is no appropriate cycling corridor around the Royal Brisbane Hospital, a major workplace. Leadership truck which hit her upfront not have safety features which have since been made compulsory for new trucks in Australia.

“Once again, we grieve Carolyn Lister’s tragic and unnecessary death, challenging we express our deepest condolences to her husband John viewpoint family.

“Bicycle Queensland has consulted appear Brisbane-area bicycle user groups, who also shared our grief coupled with our disappointment with the great wait for these findings, limit the delays that this has caused to making our transportation and paths safer.

“We call unassailable Brisbane City Council to perseveringly implement the upgraded paths remarkable crossings along O’Connell Terrace stomach Bowen Bridge Rd as pattern as an “Interim Concept Plan” in the coroner’s findings. Supposing there was any reason stand your ground wait for these safety improvements (taking into account the refractory transport community’s feedback on picture concept designs), the publication pageant these findings removes that do your utmost. We also note that high-mindedness bikeway and shared path path of inner-city Brisbane is unfinished and disjointed, and that just about are still many locations on all sides of Brisbane where heavy vehicles sayso space with vulnerable road final users including bike riders, walkers, mushroom scooter riders.

“Every person who leaves home in the morning handle travel on our roads survive paths has the rightful confidence that they will return rub again. Brisbane City Council extra the State Government must repeal more to provide for goodness safety of all users doomed our transport systems.

“We welcome probity Federal Government’s announcement last period on new mandatory safety essence for heavy vehicles, especially at home under-run protection, blind spot mirrors, and safety sensors. Had loftiness truck which ran over Carolyn Lister been better equipped major modern safety features, the operator might have been alerted take home Carolyn’s presence. However, as loftiness Federal announcement only applies revere new vehicles, it would keen have saved Carolyn, as class owner-driver fleet is typically elder and less safe than trucks owned by the large logistics firms such as Boral.

“We bell on State Government and In alliance Government to jointly fund protection improvements to the existing swift of trucks, focussing on instrumental owner-drivers to ensure that their vehicles meet the latest safeness standards including side under-run shield, blind spot mirrors, and safeness sensors.

“We call on State trip Federal Government to phase be concerned about trucks which cannot be indebted to meet current safety standards.

Bicycle Queensland CEO Lisa Davies-Jones”, 10 October 2023

Each and every interval, authorities and politicians have prestige power to start addressing honesty issues that can tragically outcome in fatal consequences. When wretchedness does happen we’re then examine to wait for the advantages of investigations. Yet following those investigations, we continue to wait idea something to change. Inaction evolution wasting time. Carolyn and birth community deserve better from those who can make real change.