Sophia Jarlov cycles along the Cameron Road cycle lanes to get to and from work. Photo / Ayla Yeoman
Sophia Jarlov commutes to and from work by cycling along Cameron Rd cycle lanes.
She has been doing so for a year and a half now and said she experienced close calls with drivers every time she cycled.
Jarlov said she was worried something awful would happen.
The cycle lanes along Cameron Rd have been in place for about a year, and Jarlov said some car drivers still seemed to have issues sharing the road.
“They’re awesome the cycle lanes, I’ve just had so many near misses that I was like, ‘somebody’s got to do something’, and maybe today, that has to be me.”
Jarlov said the most dangerous sections of the cycle lanes were the intersections with side streets.
“When they’re coming out on to Cameron Rd, there’s stop signs at every intersection and I’m surprised when I see people stop now.
“Some people just blow straight through and onto the cycle lane. Some of them do the rolling stop but keep going . . . the very least the drivers can do is just stop at the stop sign. It’s actually illegal to not stop.”
Jarlov was hit by a car while cycling about 15 years ago, which had made her more cautious.
“I’m a very slow, nervous cyclist.
“Some people go really fast with the traffic, and that’s cool, but I like to totter along.”
Cyclists experiencing near-misses on Cameron Rd had become a joke at Jarlov’s workplace.
“You’re like, ‘Only one person tried to kill me today on my way to work’.”
Jarlov said she was particularly concerned for the safety of children biking to and from school, especially those travelling around Tauranga Primary School.
Principal Fiona Hawes said student safety was always a priority for the school.
“We have noticed a lot more families biking to school with the addition of the dedicated cycleway on Cameron Rd,” she said.
“The new cycleway has certainly added a challenge for motorists - it is complex to navigate an intersection with two sets of ‘traffic’ moving in a variety of different directions and at a variety of speeds to account for.”
Hawes said students were encouraged to cross 5th Ave on the pedestrian crossing next to the school and enter the cycleway from Burger King to avoid the end-of-day school traffic.
Slower speed zones around schools helped improve safety, Hawes said.
“Children can be very unpredictable, and they will make mistakes, motorists must be aware of potential hazards in the environment they are driving in, especially around school zones.”
Tauranga City Council head of transport Mike Seabourne said the Cameron Rd cycle lanes were designed to accommodate more cyclists and scooter riders without taking up extra road space.
“We’re seeing more than 1000 people regularly cycling, walking, and scootering along Cameron Rd following its completion.”
Seabourne said signalled crossings had been installed at high-use side roads to minimise conflicts between drivers and people biking or scootering. Some side roads had speed humps installed to reduce speed and green marking alerted drivers to give way.
“New Zealand road rules require drivers to give way to people using cycleways.
“If a cyclist is travelling straight ahead through an intersection, vehicles must give way to the cyclist, just as they would for other vehicles.”
He said drivers must wait until it was safe to proceed without cutting off or endangering people riding their bikes.
“This rule applies to both two-way cycleways and one-way cycleways.”
Seabourne said drivers turning at an intersection must give way to cyclists in the cycle lane, whether they were turning left or right.
In the past five years there were 177 cycle-related crashes in Tauranga, and 64% were at intersections. Of these, 21% involved death or serious injuries.
Between 2017 and 2021, before the Cameron Rd upgrade started, there were 19 crashes involving cyclists. Twelve were at intersections, and 16 involved either a serious or minor injury.
“Since 2021, when cycleway construction on Cameron Rd began, there have been no reported crashes involving cyclists using the new cycle lanes.”
Seabourne advised cyclists to take care when approaching intersections, to slow down, and to ensure clear visibility.
“While cycleways and shared paths are well utilised across the country, they may still be a bit new for some Tauranga residents. While we do our best, we rely on everyone to play their part and keep each other safe on our roads.”
A Tauranga police spokesman reminded all road users to be alert and aware of their surroundings.
“As a road user, the decision you make not only impacts you but everyone else on the road as well.
“It is up to every single road user to pay attention to what they’re doing when they’re driving, riding, cycling, or crossing the road.”