Sixteen offence notices were issued in about two hours to motorists yesterday as the Oamaru police highway patrol continued to target the Deborah rail overbridge on State Highway 1 where two crashes have occurred within nine days recently.
Twelve offence notices were for failing to keep left (including one for a truck) and four were related to the conditions of the vehicles.
While safety at the overhead bridge, just south of Oamaru, has caused concern, highway patrol Sergeant Pete Muldrew has also warned motorists have a responsibility to drive safely.
On May 1 a truck clipped the bridge, spilling its part of its load on the highway, and on Saturday night, the driver of a southbound car lost control on a right-hand bend approaching the bridge, hit the bank and rear-ended the concrete abutment.
Highway patrol officers spent about an hour in the morning and another hour in the afternoon at the bridge yesterday, photographing cars crossing the centre line and apprehending the drivers.
Sgt Muldrew said police had lobbied Transit NZ for the 100kmh speed limit to be reduced to 80kmh from the southern end of the Alma straight to the Oamaru boundary, including the overbridge and its approaches.
