Ticketed road safety advocate thinks police enforcement is focusing on wrong areas

October 16, 2019

It all played out for Rosie Belton on Christchurch’s Port Hills.

Road safety advocate, Rosie Belton thinks police are focusing on the wrong areas after she ovetook cyclists on Christchurch's Port Hills and was pinged with a ticket because of it. 

Speaking to TVNZ 1's Seven Sharp, Ms Belton said she "felt immensely surprised" when she was pulled over because she thinks she didn't do anything illegal.

Ms Belton said police "are not helping in the times we need it, it's just ridiculous.

"There was one time they came and monitored between 8 and 9am on a flat piece of 50km zone inside the Govenors Bay Village. 

"They caught locals going just over 50 taking their kids to school. This is not the kind of policing we want." 

The police officer issued the ticket because she didn't have 100 metres clear vision in front of her, according to Ms Belton.

She said she was doing a speed that felt safe to pass the cyclists.

"The cyclists moved right over, inside the white lines - which is quite dangerous for them. It's very rough and if they get tipped off their bike, they'll fall down the bank.

"They wanted me to go past, so I just nipped past, that felt like the safe thing to do."

Ms Belton said she is going to fight the ticket.

"Now I've seen the ticket and seen what it's accused. Of course I'm going to fight it. It's ridiculous, it asserts I didn't stay on the left, of course I didn't stay on the left, I was over taking a bike.

"It asserts I over took a vehicle dangerously, which I did not."

Canterbury's road policing manager said police "undertake prevention and enforcement activities on an anytime, anywhere basis."
 

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