A Mount Maunganui cyclist suffered six broken ribs, a punctured lung, a concussion and was in the hospital for a week after slamming into a car door on Oceanbeach Rd.
Graeme Horsley, 79, has spoken out about the terrifying experience as residents in the area raise concerns about the volume of traffic on the busy stretch of road.
Horsley was biking along Oceanbeach Rd around 8.30am on July 1, near the Girven Rd intersection during “heavy” traffic.
“A tradesman opened his door without looking and I ran into it [and] got thrown into the middle of the road, so I was very lucky I wasn’t run over.
“I had six broken ribs, a punctured lung, a concussion and was in hospital for a week.”
Horsley said he spent 24 hours in Tauranga Hospital’s intensive care unit, as his lungs needed to be drained of fluid. It took between six and eight weeks for his ribs to heal.
Although he had not sustained any long-term injuries from the accident, he said he ‘won’t ride down that end of Oceanbeach Rd anymore”.
The incident has sparked discussion about the traffic on Oceanbeach Rd, which residents believe has been made worse by the partial closure of Links Ave.
Data from Tauranga City Council shows the average traffic volumes on Oceanbeach Rd increased by about 3000 cars in December 2021 - amid a trial of the closure - compared to before the trial in November 2021.
However, data from August 2022 showed traffic volumes were similar to that of November 2021.
The council does not regularly count traffic on the route, and the August figures were the most up-to-date data.
Tauranga City Council implemented the road changes to Links Ave last year after residents raised safety concerns over high traffic volumes when children were travelling to and from school. It aimed to address the problem of vehicles using the road as a rat run by turning Links Ave into cul-de-sac.
The cul-de-sac remains in place between 7am - 10am and 2pm - 6pm, Monday to Sunday, with unrestricted access at all other times.
Horsley said the traffic on Oceanbeach Rd was “ridiculous” during peak hours, and it was “like a main highway”.
In his view, the traffic had “undoubtedly” been made worse by the closure of Links Ave.
Horsley said he would like to see wider footpaths, as he often saw kids riding their bikes along them, going on to the road if they came across a pedestrian, and then back on to the footpaths.
“That’s not safe for the kids either, and Links Ave was all done to make it safe for kids to get to school. Well, what about kids that don’t live on Links Ave?”
Mount Maunganui resident Lesley Stevenson has lived on Oceanbeach Rd for about 50 years.
The 77-year-old wanted to see roundabouts at the intersections of Oceanbeach Rd, Concord Ave and Girven Rd.
This would allow residents on the beach side of the road to turn left, go around a roundabout and join the traffic on the other side, she said.
“But at the moment, we cannot get into the tight traffic because we can’t turn right out of our driveways at all.
“It is so stressful and dangerous.”
Earlier this month, she said she saw a woman lying on the ground on the corner of Concord Ave and Oceanbeach Rd who she understands may have been knocked off a scooter.
In her view, the closure of Links Ave led to more traffic on Oceanbeach Rd.
“As soon as they closed Links Ave, that traffic had to come in as well down here.”
She understood the benefits of the road’s closure, particularly for students who biked to school.
“But they could make a proper cycle lane fenced off and still have two rows of traffic.”
Tauranga City Council director of transport Brendan Bisley said the traffic growth on Oceanbeach Rd was due to “under-investment” in roading infrastructure in the past 20 years.
“The roading network has not kept up with the population growth, and as a result, there is congestion across the network, including Oceanbeach Rd.
“In the peak hours, there is simply too much traffic for the available streets, and traffic backs up as a result.”
Bisley said “rat running” created additional congestion, which meant key corridors such as Oceanbeach Rd were constantly stopping to let traffic in.
“If the traffic stuck to the arterials, traffic flow would be smoother and more traffic would get along the corridor in the same time, which would assist with reducing congestion.”
Bisley said the council was planning to upgrade the intersection of Oceanbeach Rd, Girven Rd and Maranui St to improve traffic flow. Details of the proposed changes were being worked on and would be discussed with the community in the next couple of months before being implemented later this year.
Among them included parking changes along Oceanbeach Rd during peak hours to improve safety for cyclists.
Bisley said the council had $2 billion of planned investment in transport upgrades over the next 10 years to try to reduce congestion. However, this would take time, as roadworks were planned to be spread out to minimise the impacts on traffic.
“This investment won’t resolve congestion, it will still exist in the peak hours, but the investment does prevent it getting worse as the city population continues to grow.”
The council was unable to solve congestion through the construction of new roads or widening existing roads because it would be too expensive to buy land and houses along arterial routes.
New infrastructure, such as the Pāpāmoa Eastern Interchange, would make it easier for traffic to use the Eastern Link rather than driving through Pāpāmoa.
Additionally, the Baypark to Bayfair project was expected to be completed this year, making it easier for traffic to get to the Mount and the city, and reducing the pressure on Oceanbeach Rd.
Bisley said the best way to reduce congestion was to get 10 to 15 per cent of drivers to use an alternative mode of transport, such as the bus or a bike, or to change the time they travel to avoid peak hours.
“Some residents have choices about how and when they travel, so if they were able to use an alternative, this improves the congestion.”
The council was also investing in bus infrastructure and in improved cycle networks to make it safer to bike.
Bisley said the council was working hard to improve traffic safety for all road users, and wished the cyclist and the woman knocked off her scooter a speedy recovery.
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