Police issued 54 speeding tickets in one day. Photo/file
Police issued 54 speeding tickets in one day. Photo/file
Speeding rugby fans have tarnished the image of what was otherwise a gathering of thousands of well-behaved supporters.
Police issued 54 speeding tickets on Sunday to fans leaving the city the day after the Lions defeated the Maori All Blacks - including campervans travelling at more than 30km/h over thespeed limit in the fog.
Rotorua police area prevention manager Inspector Stu Nightingale said while the general behaviour of fans was brilliant, with fewer people being arrested on Saturday night than normal, police were disappointed with the speeds at which mainly visitors were travelling.
Mr Nightingale said he personally spent Saturday on the highway monitoring driver behaviour and noticed that despite heavy fog and wet conditions, some were prepared to drive well above the limit.
He said he also stopped vehicles for travelling too slowly. One was a local man who was towing a trailer with another vehicle on it that was travelling 50km/h on the open road.
Mr Nightingale said the driver had about 30 cars lined behind him.
"We just reminded him and other drivers that we stopped for going too slow that if you're travelling that slow you are also a hazard because people make dangerous manoeuvres to get past. Travelling too slow can be as risky as driving too fast sometimes."
Mr Nightingale said the 54 tickets was well above what police would normally catch on a busy weekend.
