Cycle Action Waikato chair crashes due to sign placed into cycle lane

Cycle Action Waikato chair crashes due to sign placed into cycle lane

Max

As some of you may have read in yesterday’s Weekend Herald, Robbie Price, the chair of Cycle Action Waikato, had a serious cycle crash which made him lose his memories of the last 10 years – while otherwise seeming mostly unhurt, Robbie cannot remember things from before 2002.

Robbie is reported to have crashed when he hit a temporary construction sign that had been placed into a cycle lane in Frankton suburb, Hamilton. From the limited information the article gives us, it appears that contractors were thus responsible for the crash by unsafely blocking a cycle lane. Something we do see around Auckland as well.

The construction traffic codes generally require that where a cycle lane is closed due to construction, a temporary cycle lane has to be designated. But even that does not help when signs end up in places where they should never go – especially without warnings ahead of the sign, such as traffic cones. In some cases, roadworkers seem to see the cycle lane or cycle path as a convenient place for signs to get them “out of traffic” – in other cases, some drunk hoodlum moves signs or traffic cones around, creating a dangerous situation. If nothing else, the crash would show that roadworks sites need to constantly check their signage – with cyclists in mind. If you see any unsafe construction zones, please contact Auckland Transport urgently.

We wish Robbie a good recovery, and all the support he needs from friends, family and coworkers – it is hoped that he will eventually regain the memory of his missing decade.

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