ACT Government apologises for cyclist Paul Storey's death
ACT Government apologised for the 2022 death of cyclist Paul Storey from system failures.
Storey, a 71-year-old retired public servant, died in January 2022. Storey struck a tree branch hanging over a shared path at Black Mountain Peninsula.
The branch had been reported through Fix My Street 14 days earlier. The report went to the wrong department and no risk assessment was done.
City Services Minister Tara Cheyne apologised in the Legislative Assembly. She said the failures should never have happened.
The government has since changed how it receives and assesses maintenance reports. Systems are now integrated and a dedicated triage team has been created.
Fix My Street response times have improved from 99 days in 2023 to 16 days in 2025.
- 71
- Storey's age
- 14
- Days before report assessed
- 16 days
- Fix My Street response time 2025
- 99 days
- Fix My Street response time 2023
Why it mattersSystem failures contributed to a cyclist's death. The government made changes to how safety reports are handled.
AustraliaCanberra cyclists using shared paths will see faster hazard responses, though advocates are still asking for proof of effectiveness.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 7 d ago
