A Redfern woman’s chihuahua has died after a cyclist struck her on a shared path in Moore Park’s Centennial Parklands last Tuesday evening and rode away without stopping, leaving the owner devastated and reigniting debate about safety on shared pedestrian and cycling paths.
Megan Waterhouse, 36, was walking her chihuahua Spider on a lead along a shared path next to the Bat and Ball Field in Centennial Parklands at around 6.40pm when a cyclist came from behind and rode directly over the small dog. Waterhouse did not see the cyclist slow down or stop. She watched the bike wobble but the rider was gone by the time she looked up.
When she picked Spider up, the injured dog bit her hand in distress. The bite became infected, requiring Waterhouse to later undergo surgery. She rushed Spider to a local vet, where the chihuahua went into cardiac arrest. Vets were able to revive her, but Spider had sustained brain damage and was euthanised.
Waterhouse described Spider as her little angel girl, a dog she said brought a smile to the face of everyone she passed and who went everywhere with her. The loss, compounded by the cyclist’s failure to stop or acknowledge what had happened, has left her shaken about the safety of shared paths she has used regularly.
A Hit-and-Run on a Shared Path
Police confirmed they are investigating after being notified that an unknown cyclist collided with a dog on a shared path in Centennial Parklands before leaving the scene. The cyclist is described as a caucasian male wearing white Lycra and riding a high-end white road bicycle. One witness has already come forward and independently provided a description consistent with what Waterhouse saw.
The speed limit within Centennial Parklands is 30km/h. Greater Sydney Parklands confirmed it was not notified of the incident and declined to comment further given the matter is now before police.
Waterhouse said the experience had reinforced concerns she already held about shared paths. She described being yelled at by cyclists and bowled over on paths on multiple prior occasions, and said the incident felt like a nightmare extension of an already difficult situation for pedestrians sharing paths with faster-moving cyclists.
Shared Path Safety Back in Focus
The incident has drawn renewed attention to long-running concerns about the design and management of shared paths between pedestrians and cyclists in urban parks. Pedestrian Council chief executive Harold Scruby describes such paths as a fundamental problem, arguing that footpaths are for pedestrians and that people should be able to walk through a park and feel safe.
Scruby also pointed to a structural issue that this case illustrates clearly. Cyclists carry no registration plates and, in many cases, no compulsory third-party insurance. When a collision occurs and the rider leaves the scene, tracing them is difficult and the injured party has limited recourse. He noted that cyclists are aware they can leave without consequence because their identity is concealed by a helmet and sunglasses.
The issue of shared path management in Centennial Parklands is not new. The park draws a large volume of cycling traffic, particularly among road cyclists using its internal loop, while also serving as a daily walking destination for residents from Surry Hills, Moore Park, Redfern and the surrounding suburbs. The intersection of fast road cycling with pedestrian and dog-walking activity on the same paths has generated incidents and complaints over many years.
A Confronting Reminder
For residents of Surry Hills and Moore Park who use Centennial Parklands regularly, Spider’s death is a confronting reminder of a risk that most people accept as background noise on shared paths but rarely see result in tragedy. Dogs on leads, children, older pedestrians and joggers all share the same asphalt with cyclists travelling at speeds that leave little margin for error, particularly when a small dog on a short lead is effectively invisible until a rider is almost upon her.
The absence of the cyclist from the scene is the element that has most affected Waterhouse and drawn the strongest community reaction. Whatever the circumstances of the collision, leaving the scene of an incident that kills an animal and injures the animal’s owner crosses a line that the community has responded to clearly.
Anyone with information, dashcam footage or witnesses to the incident are urged to contact Surry Hills Police Station or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Published 18-March-2026.
