Arthur Meyers is one lucky guy. Arthur was the cyclist forced into the railing of the Tutaekuri Bridge when a 10-wheeler truck squeezed him out of road space.
His front tyre caught in a narrow groove below the bridge railing and he flipped over the handlebars and landed on the middle ofthe left-hand lane.
Fortunately, the truck had just completed passing him when he was flipped onto the highway. Any earlier and he could have ended up crushed under the truck wheels.
It was a horrifying scenario and enough to convince me to take a closer inspection of the Tutaekuri Bridge. Like most motorists, I'd never really thought about what a dangerous crossing this is for cyclists, but when you stop to take a look, or even just consider it next time you drive across, it is obvious the bridge is a potential death trap.
There is a signposted cycleway along the shore below but, being of dirt construction and affected by bad weather, it is not hard to see why dedicated cyclists are loath to use it.
Personally, I would opt for the cycleway even if it did mean having to walk it. The bridge crossing is just too dangerous. Vehicles fly by with just inches between them and the railing.
But it is obvious that sports cyclists and serious two-wheeled commuters are not going to dismount and trek through the dirt to cross the Tutaekuri. The consensus appears to be that the cycle track is not practical.
There is, however, no easy answer as the Tutaekuri Bridge's structure can not support a clip-on cycleway such as the one on the nearby Waitangi Stream Bridge.
The only conclusion I could come to was that we motorists must take much more care on the bridge.
Arthur Meyers escaped with a split nose and lower lip, serious bruising on his thigh and a banged up bike. But it could have been a whole lot worse.
