Cyclist killed at 'nightmare' intersection crossed against lights

Thursday, 24 September 2020

Police at the scene of the crash where Russell Phillip Frankum died on Thursday.

A cyclist killed at a “nightmare” Christchurch intersection crossed without a green light.

Russell Phillip Frankum, aged in his 50s, was cycling on Brougham St, near the city end of the Christchurch Southern Motorway, just before 8pm last Thursday, when he was hit by a van and killed.

Stuff understands Frankum had no green light when he crossed the lights-controlled crossing on Brougham St near Collins St. The crossing is for pedestrians and cyclists.

The van driver had a green light, Stuff understands. It is understood the van had left the motorway and was in a 60kmh zone when it hit the cyclist.

* Christchurch cyclist critical after collision with a car

Students from nearby Addington School using the crossing where the cyclist was hit by a van.

* Pedestrian left injured after being hit by car at New Plymouth crossing

A witness to the crash earlier said the crossing was a “bit of a nightmare”.

Frankum’s family told The Star newspaper their son was “metres” from home. His father, Michael Frankum, wanted to know all the facts before making a judgment, but sympathised with the van driver “having to live with this”.

Canterbury road policing manager Inspector Greg Cottam declined to comment on the cause of the crash as it remained under investigation, but urged all road users to take care at intersections.

“The weather is coming out of spring into summer, we’re going to see more cyclists and people on the roads, and we need all road users to take care and comply with the stop signs and red lights to keep all road users safe.”

Addington School’s board of trustees chair, Jo Robertson, previously said the school had spent years lobbying the NZ Transport Agency (NZTA), the Christchurch City Council and local MPs to add safety measures to the Brougham and Collins street intersection.

The school met with the Spreydon-Cashmere Community Board, NZTA representatives, a road safety advocate and pupils and parents two days before Frankum was killed.

“We said that intersection is really dangerous and someone is going to get injured or killed on it,” Robertson said.

“I feel like we finally got some traction on it this week, but it’s too late.”

Nineteen others have died on Canterbury roads so far this year – 13 fewer than the same time last year – according to NZTA data.

At least 27 other crashes have happened on the stretch of Brougham St where it intersects with Simeon and Collins streets since January 2000.

Two resulted in serious injuries, eight caused moderate injuries and 17 did not involve injuries.

Russell Frankum leaves behind three children, according to a death notice published in The Press.