2017-03-31 - Rider down (fatality), Mike Hall during the Indian Pacific Wheel Race

Doh! The ABC is the aussie BBC ... that's how my brain works ... or doesn't work, as it turns out in this case

Sunrise at 7.15 https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/australia/canberra?month=3&year=2017
"Nautical Twilight" beginning at 6.20 - at time of crash

Each twilight phase is defined by the solar elevation angle, which is the position of the Sun in relation to the horizon. During nautical twilight, the geometric center of the Sun's disk is between 6 and 12 degrees below the horizon.
In clear weather conditions, the horizon is faintly visible during this twilight phase. Many of the brighter stars can also be seen, making it possible to use the position of the stars in relation to the horizon to navigate at sea. This is why it is called nautical twilight.

It would have been somewhat darker than this with the sun rising behind Mt. Campbell some 4-500 metres higher only 2 km away.

Don't expect any competence at all from the AFP Canberra police in this case. It is a small force, there are only about 10 road fatalities a year, Mike was only the second cyclist to be killed in a crash with another vehicle since 2010. Like most police in Australia I doubt whether they have a positive attitude to cyclists.
I don't know how closely the coroners there work with the police. In ACT all magistrates are also coroners. The magistrate in this case has an impressive CV but it is hard to tell how she might regard long distance cyclists and if she is prepared to criticise the police for careless work.

Don't expect any competence at all from police

ftfy

Update info from day 3 of the inquest hearing. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/sep/26/mike-hall-inquest-driver-who-hit-endurance-cyclist-will-not-give-evidence

A P-plate driver who fatally hit British ultra-endurance cyclist Mike Hall will not be forced to give evidence to the coronial inquest into his death.
Ken Archer, counsel assisting, told the court on Wednesday that Bobb had proven to be a “highly suggestible” witness in interviews with police.
He said he should be not be compelled to give evidence.
“Mr Bobb has consistently said he simply did not see Mr Hall,” Archer said.

The Australian Cycle Alliance blog has been updated for day 2 https://cycle.org.au/index.php/articles/mike-hall-inquest
contrast to press agency report in Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/sep/25/mike-hall-inquest-two-other-drivers-almost-hit-ultra-endurance-cyclist-court-hears

The Australian Cycle Alliance blog is very good.

I came half way across the world for my boy. I attended the Inquest and sat for three days listening to the evidence I knew whatever the findings will be that I have to live with it. There is no blame no anger and no recriminations
I went for my son who always asked people to be kind to each other and have empathy. I saw a young lad with fear in his eyes with sorrow in his heart and I took him in my arms and held him tight as he sobbed that he was sorry for what he had done. I hugged him and his girlfriend told him I forgave him and asked him to try to move on and find a way foward to look. after his young family and to have a good life . I came to Australia to find answers and I did I found the answer all around in the courtroom I saw destructive anger that is negative I saw people so wrapped up in their own need that it destroyed what my son stood for But I also saw incredible steadfastness and the ability to reach out and have compassion. I came away with clarity I had done want Mike would have done I forgave Be Kind to us

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10156926769358923&id=530713922

She always comes across so well. Logical And compassionate. Level headed and kind. She must have been a great mum to Mike.

Wow thats thought provoking .

Staggering. Very humbling. I wouldn't have that kind of strength

My thoughts exactly.

It actually made me well up reading that. Cannot imagine what that requires ...

Same. And then again the next 2 times I read it

The Bike Show riding on the Mike Hall tribute event this summer:
This is Not a Tour
http://thebikeshow.net/this-is-not-a-tour/

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-47396799

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-28/cyclist-mike-hall-death-avoidable-canberra-coroner-finds/10857010

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/feb/28/road-death-british-cyclist-mike-hall-australia-avoidable-coroner

https://cycle.org.au/index.php/articles/the-big-issues/mike-hall-inquest

The investigation attempted to blame Mike for not making himself
conspicuous enough for drivers to see him. However, video footage
showed his lights to be bright, and showed him having a reflector on
his bag, reflective leg warmers and white arm bands. And to make
matters worse, the AFP disposed of all Mike’s clothing, and ‘lost’ his
bag with the reflective material. And since, previously, all counsel
present at the Inquest had agreed to suppress all photographs of the
body, in the interest of justice, the public will even know for
certain what Mike was wearing at the time he was struck.

The investigation attempted to blame Mike when it recreated his bike,
but without the correct voltage (they used only a 6-volt battery),
without his reflective gear, without the front light pool on the road
in front of the bike, and without a rider or any riding motion.
Additionally, the bike in the recreation was placed far to the left of
the fog line so that it was almost out of sight of a driver’s line of
vision.

When elements of the AFP investigation were challenged by a lawyer for
the organisers, the Coroner said that the Court was not going to
criticise the AFP investigation.

The full report:

http://www.bicyclingaustralia.com.au/news/act-coroner-s-report-into-mike-hall-tragedy

What stood out for me is this:

I am of the view that there is an argument that Mr Bobb was negligent in his driving. However, having regard to all the evidence before me and noting in particular the conflicting evidence in relation to Mr Hall’s conspicuity for other drivers, the loss of evidence crucial to determining the conspicuity of Mr Hall’s clothing and accoutrements, the physical environment of the road at the relevant location, and the high standard of negligence required by section 29, I do not have reasonable grounds for believing that Mr Bobb has committed an indictable offence.

Basically, the law requires physical evidence of a driver being negligent to a high standard ... killing someone isn't enough to prove you're driving in a negligent manner. Even though the coroner thought the driver was negligent in his driving it wasn't enough to find so in her report due to the legal requirements.

There is more information regarding the failure of investigation in this recent ABC news report.
Please be aware there are some distressing images of the crash scene on the linked page.

Thanks for that. Good work by Heath Ryan. You can see how many factors had to come together here for this to happen, and how bad the inquest was.

.