This is dangerous NZ Police


This is an unsafe act. The police officer appears to be standing in a part of a lane that is closing off while traffic is whizzing by at 80-100kmph. He is behind his bike, which will turn into a projectile if hit by a vehicle that is leaving it just a little late to merge or by a vehicle that is squeezed left by the rest of the traffic.

Moreover his presence may come as a surprise to vehicle drivers, who may react by braking or steering suddenly.

All in all it’s a bad situation waiting to happen, and this photo should cause instant concern in Police HQ.

I’m not against the idea of videoing bus lanes – but please use a fixed video system. There seem to be plenty of poles available to place a camera.

 

<update – thanks to Glen Barnes for this graphic:

Published by Lance Wiggs

@lancewiggs

5 replies on “This is dangerous NZ Police”

  1. Being a bus user who actually drove past I was shocked to see him there. It forced buses to merge earlier than normal and as you say is clearly dangerous. There are multiple spots he could have parked and been behind a barrier – either at the foot of the Shelly beach on ramp (though this would give drivers the option to take Shelly Beach to avoid the fine) or from the top of the bridge itself.

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  2. Very dangerous, this would be a hazard/distraction for motorists. Recently my flat mate was almost taken out by a car further up the road past where the lanes merge, also while im having a rant, the signage should be improved to avoid people making last minute lane changes to jump on western motorway and inner city offramp, this is a very confusing stretch of road, cars always darting in and out of lanes around a blind corner going at 80/70kmph is dangerous.

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  3. Reminds me of the Highway Patrol car that got rear ended parked in a very narrow section of the shoulder of SH2 Southbound near BP on the way into Wgtn a few years ago. The average Joe Public would probably realise that no stopping signs are there for a reason and that the shoulder is for emergencies, but this smart copper thought it would be a good place to park with his speed laser until a truck came through his rear window.

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  4. It’s especially dangerous in the fact that people drive most irrationally when they suddenly come across a hidden police officer. Dropped sandwiches, quick hide of the phone, mandatory tap of the brake while shooting a glance at the speedo regardless of what speed you’re doing all leads to an increased likelihood of a crash. This on top of the fact you’re already trying to merge or change lanes here.

    This photo goes hand in hand with my belief that the police really have no idea what causes road accidents in New Zealand and stick to the easy objective-enforcements like speeding whilst staying away from all subjective-enforcements like ‘dangerous driving’. Basically, lazy policing.

    On top of this, this is one of the stupidest corners on SH1. The only guaranteed way of not getting thrown off at Fanshawe St is to stay in the fast lane over the bridge. Even then with the crash barrier to the very left I believe you still need to make a lane change whilst going around this very corner to make it over the flyover. If you’re a tourist cruising in the slow lane, good luck with the three lane change you need to do to not end up in town with no easy way of getting back on the motorway south. New Zealand road engineer’s fascination with asymmetric motorway junctions is intriguing.

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