Neighbours remember Unley cyclist killed in crash on Wattle St

The 53-year-old was killed on his early morning commute after allegedly being forced into traffic by a passenger door opening.

A cyclist who was killed riding his bike on Wednesday morning was the father of two school-aged children and well-known in his community, it can be revealed.

Just after 8am yesterday, the 53-year-old was struck by a Mercedes sedan outside Sunrise Christian School on Wattle St, Unley, just 200 metres from his home.

CCTV vision from a neighbouring house showed the passenger of a parked car opening their door into the bike lane, at which point the cyclist was swept underneath the Mercedes and dragged more than 10 metres down the road.

A 53-year-old cyclist has been killed after being struck by a car outside a Fullarton primary school. Bystanders desperately tried to free the rider, who was dragged along the road beneath the vehicle | @joshuacwebsterpic.twitter.com/7NJAF5ZNOi

— 10 News First Adelaide (@10NewsFirstAdl) December 13, 2023

Though bystanders rushed to help, the man died at the scene.

Neighbours spoke fondly of the man, who was a cartographer by trade, barracked for Hawthorn Football Club, and helped look after a local community garden.

He also owned a German Shepherd who is being taken care of by a next-door neighbour.

Neighbour Anne Nieass, 77, has lived on the adjacent street for more than 30 years with her husband and left a bouquet at the scene of the crash.

Flowers were left at Wattle St, Unley, at the scene of a crash that claimed the life of a cyclist. Picture: George Yankovich

She described him as a “lovely, lovely bloke, and a gentleman”, who could often be seen riding his bike to and from work.

“He was very friendly with the dog – we would always stop and say hello,” Mrs Nieass said.

“It’s just absolutely tragic.”

Following the crash, an Unley council resident whose brother died in a separate bike crash told The Advertiser he had raised concerns about the poor road safety conditions on Wattle St.

He said it is often glutted by drivers who use it as an arterial road, as well as commuters who park their cars before catching public transport.

“This all usually comes together to coincide with school drop-off time … (Drivers) exceed the speed limit so it all comes together as a perfect storm,” he said.

He said timed parking would free up school drop-offs and pick-up locations, but the council had been “dismissive” of his ideas and concerns.

“Now a cyclist has been killed on Wattle Street and I have no doubt that his or her death could have been avoided if Unley council had been more proactive in addressing the issues that those residents have raised,” he said.

The Advertiser contacted Sunrise Christian School to ask if students who witnessed the crash were offered any counselling and whether school drop-off procedures would be revised.

However, the school did not respond to the request for comment.

The man’s death is the 108th life lost on SA roads compared with 66 at the same time last year.