Cyclists race more red lights than any other road user in Auckland, accounting for two-thirds the number of red light runners, a survey by Auckland Council's transport agency shows.
Auckland Transport conducted the survey over two days in March 2013 at four busy intersections in the city centre.
Red light running is defined as a vehicle entering the intersection once the red light is on.
During the period of the survey, 217 cyclists ran red lights, followed by 116 cars, four trucks and one motorcycle.
The worst intersection for cyclists running red lights was 89 at the intersection of Tamaki Drive and Mission Bay. The worst for cars was 46 at the intersection of Tamaki Drive and Solent Street.
There were no fatal crashes at intersections in 2013, but there has already been one in January. Last week, cyclist John Tangiia from Auckland was struck by a truck at the intersection of Stanley Street and Parnell Rise.
Auckland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Michael Barnett says that crash reinforces the need for better cycling infrastructure.
"For the last three to four years, Auckland has been trying to come up with a way of separating the 4000 vehicles that go to and from the port each day - and they've done nothing. I'm saying if they accelerated some of that thinking, then perhaps we might make it safer for cyclists in that area."
Cycle Action chairperson Barbara Cuthbert says that cyclists have been misrepresented in the survey.
"What this survey did was it focused on particularly, if you look at it, there are four results from the survey relating to roads. Two of them relate to Tamaki Drive, which is the busiest cycle road in the whole country. So it's not surprising that you'll get a lot of cyclists represented."
