Brush with car a sobering lesson

It was two weeks before cyclist Elizabeth Nes plucked up the courage to get back on her bike after being the victim of a hit-and- run incident in Havelock North recently.

The 18 year-old EIT student was cycling on the Simlar Ave and Te Mata Rd roundabout when a car attempted to pass but instead collided with her, the impact knocking Ms Nes to the ground.

"The driver didn't stop to help me, just kept going, I then walked to the top of the hill where one of the witnesses offered to take me home.

"The witness also recognised the driver and believed it was a student from the (Havelock North) high school."

Ms Nes realised she was lucky just to come away with just a grazed arm but was upset her new iPhone she had bought to keep in touch with family had been damaged by the impact of the collision.

"What I would like is my iPhone fixed. I would also like the high school to talk to students about safe driving, especially when coming into roundabouts on the (Te Mata) road next to the school."

"They need to watch out for cyclists because many people use this road to bike to school and in my opinion, it's unsafe," she pointed out.

Ms Nes said there was a cycle lane on the footpath coming off the Simlar Ave, Te Mata Rd roundabout. "But the issue I have is that there's always a lot of students standing there so I couldn't access the path," she said. "A lot of other cyclists are in the same position and cycling straight ahead instead of getting on to the path."

Ms Nes began cycling more often this year as she expected to move to Auckland to continue her studies and use her bike as her main mode of transport.

"It (the collision) put me off cycling for about a week or two but then I got back into it as I'm a pretty keen cyclist and like to stay fit. I really enjoy the iWay cycling trails and use the one from Havelock to Hastings a lot."

On Sunday she was cycling when she noticed the Hastings District Council's Big Bike Fix Up programme where she put her bike through a free mechanical check up. "They told me that the pedals were not working properly with the chain so they've fixed it. I also now have my gears working properly on my bike."

The council said despite the rainy weather on Sunday, about 100 bikes took advantage of the Big Bike Fix Up programme.