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Home / Bay of Plenty Times

City's road users feeling less safe on our roads

Zoe Hunter
By Zoe Hunter
Bay of Plenty Times·
19 Oct, 2017 12:00 AM4 mins to read

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Regular road user Iris Thomas is concerned about road safety. Photo/file

Regular road user Iris Thomas is concerned about road safety. Photo/file

The number of people killed or injured in crashes on council-owned roads increased by 33 last year, matching increased public concerns with safety on Tauranga roads.

Tauranga City Council's annual report to June 30 showed that the three deaths were a cyclist, pedestrian and a motorist. Seventeen others were seriously injured and 159 received minor injuries.

The 179 people killed or injured reversed a trend from previous years in which the numbers had been dropping. The increase from 2015-16 reflected community perceptions that safety levels on city roads were dropping.

Read more: NZ Transport Agency maps highlight Labour Weekend hotspots

The dead and injured comprised 128 vehicle occupants, 30 cyclists and 21 pedestrians, with cyclist casualties out of proportion to total traffic numbers using Tauranga roads.

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It highlighted the importance of the council's Cycle Action Plan that was currently out for public consultation. The aim of the plan was to make it safer and easier for more people to ride bikes around the city.

The annual report showed residents' perception of safety on city cycleways, footpaths and roads had decreased.

A council survey revealed the number of cyclists who felt safe on city roads decreased from 42 per cent in 2015-16 to 36 per cent in 2016-17.

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The number of walkers who felt safe also decreased from 82 per cent to 78 per cent, while drivers who felt safe decreased from 70 per cent to 67 per cent.

Western Bay of Plenty road policing manager Senior Sergeant Ian Campion said there could be a variety of contributing factors to any crash.

"But one thing that remains constant is that any death or injury on our roads is one too many," he said. "That continues to be of concern to police."

Mr Campion said it was these "common behaviours" that continued to result in people being killed and injured.

Cyclists were encouraged to always wear a helmet and high visibility clothing, observe the road rules, and be aware of their surroundings, Mr Campion said.

Tauranga City Council transportation manager Martin Parkes said the council was working hard to make Tauranga safer for cyclists.

"We want to make it as safe and easy as possible for people of all ages to move around the city."

He said the council was asking people to share which parts of the city needed to be safer for biking through its Cycle Plan consultation.

"Every person on a bike is potentially one less car on the road, which benefits everyone.''

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A regular Tauranga cyclist Iris Thomas said it was the "sheer volume" of traffic and driver distraction that had cyclists worried for their safety.

"We are the smallest road users and if people are distracted it makes it so much more dangerous for cyclists," she said.

The founder of the school safety education programme Kids Can Ride said she had to change where they taught the children because the roads were too busy.

Mrs Thomas used hand signals to indicate her movements to drivers, but she said it was motorists' failure to indicate that made cyclists feel unsafe.

"They are not communicating with you," she said. "Communication is respect."

Mrs Thomas said she was "very careful" on the roads and had not been injured while cycling. But there had been plenty of near misses.

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Cyclist Richard Schrama severed an artery near his jawbone when he crashed into the just-opened door of a parked car on Cameron Rd's painted cycle lane.

The door pierced his left cheek.

He said he still cycled to work, but with more caution. Mr Schrama understood the decrease in cyclists' safety perceptions because of increased traffic congestion.

"One of the best ways to improve safety is for employees to provide facilities for cyclists," he said.

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