PHOTO
To get a picture of Dunedin motorists’ behaviour at intersections, The Star plans to stake out some potential hot spots. Earlier this week, Jessica Wilson went to the intersection of State Highway 1 and the Caversham bypass for an hour.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I parked up near the intersection of State Highway 1 and the Caversham bypass on Monday afternoon from 4pm to 5pm.
Having had a near miss there not so long ago, I thought it would be a good one to watch.
In that instance, I was heading into town from Mosgiel and had to slam on my brakes when a car coming from Caversham crossed through the intersection when I had a green light.
Luckily, I was able to stop in time.
On Monday, I sat in a few different spots to make sure I got a good view of each side.
The problem directions seemed to be heading towards Lookout Point on the motorway, heading towards town on the motorway and turning left from Caversham on to the motorway.
While most motorists followed the road rules and obeyed the lights system, some pushed them too far.
One motorist, heading east on the motorway, seemed completely oblivious as the orange light turned red and they drove through the intersection.
Another red light-runner was turning left from Caversham on to the motorway.
Not long after, two more motorists ran the red arrow in the same spot.
During this time, more than 30 cars squeezed through on the orange to varying degrees.
Some motorists were simply too close to the intersection to stop when the light turned from green to orange, whereas others had ample time to brake.
The statistics I gathered were from what I could see from my position.
No doubt there was more activity in other directions.