Police slapped more than a dozen motorists and cyclists with infringement notices in just an hour at the intersection of Anzac Ave and Castle St yesterday afternoon.
Those infringements included motorists using cellphones while driving, failing to stop at a stop sign, failing to comply with amber lights and cyclists not wearing helmets.
Police were concerned about the ''rising crash rate in the central city'', so launched a campaign targeting road-rule breakers, Dunedin Clutha Waitaki area prevention manager Inspector Mel Aitken said.
Police were concerned by preliminary figures showing reported crashes in the central city rose about 11% over the past year, compared with 2012-13.
And police had a simple message to those road users who flouted the rules.
''If you breach a simple road rule, expect to be stopped,'' Insp Aitken said.
''We make no apologies for trying to keep the roads safe.''
Insp Aitken noted the site of yesterday's operation was the scene of a fatal crash involving a cyclist in 2011 and said, despite road improvements, motorists continued to ignore traffic signs and basic driving rules.
''Police want to stop people dying and being injured on our city roads."
In the latest city crash, a 72-year-old Dunedin man drove the wrong way along a one-way section of State Highway 1 and collided head-on with another vehicle on Sunday.
Insp Aitken said all road users had a responsibility and ''by simply obeying the road rules and being considerate of others and driving to the conditions, we can all play a part in ensuring our roads are as safe as possible, for not only ourselves but also our families, friends and other road users''.
''Let's all do our bit.''
Motorists could expect to encounter more operations over the next month, she said.
