Cyclists oblivious to red lights at a Salisbury Rd intersection have been leaving one driver aghast for 12 months.
Albizia Ave retiree Ron Adams regularly drives through the Arbor-Lea Ave/Salisbury Rd intersection and says he and his wife have encountered “more than four” near-collisions with cyclists in the last year when they’ve turned left or right from Arbor-Lea Ave onto Salisbury Rd and vice-versa.
Ron says the most recent occurred on 21 May and “someone is going to get clobbered”.
“It is becoming more dangerous, [the cyclists] don’t seem to register a red light means stop,” he says.
“I’ve watched a cyclist coming down the road at quite a rate, and my light was on green, and I thought ‘this guy is not going to stop’, so I didn’t go, and he just flew straight through.
“On [May 21], we were coming home, and we could see [a cyclist] wasn’t going to stop, but we started to turn at the green arrow, and he had to stop or hit us. I don’t move now until I know there’s no one coming through, because it’s happening more and more.”
Ron says the cyclists he’s encountered in the wrong were on the cycle lanes, and they weren’t “young people”.
“I’ve seen school students coming down there, but they’re always stopped. It’s mainly adults and that really bugs me, because they should know better.”
Ron says he had not reported the incidents to police. A police spokesperson says anyone who witnesses someone riding in a dangerous manner that might put others at risk is urged to call police.
“All road users should ensure they have read and understand the road code, and adhere to it,” they say.
“Any situation would be considered on its unique features and responded to accordingly, including any charges or infringements.”
A Tasman District Council spokesperson says no issues at the intersection had been brought to its attention in the last year but would appreciate it if any future issues were.
“There is nothing unusual about the intersection layout or that of the cycleway that should be causing non-compliance with road rules, so in the first instance motorists and cyclists should adhere to these - this includes observing and following traffic light signals,” they say.
