‘Accident waiting to happen’

A white-faced heron is reflected in the still waters of the Waimea Inlet at Monaco yesterday morning. Nelsonians woke up to the coldest day since last September, with temperatures dropping to - 0.9 degrees C at 7am. More frosty starts and clear days are e

A fatal crash on a temporary bridge on a state highway near St Arnaud was inevitable, a local farmer says.

Tania Maree Anderson, 49, from Ashburton, died last Friday afternoon when her motorcycle crashed on the bridge on State Highway 63 (St Arnaud-Kawatiri Highway) near Speargrass Rd.

Phil Borlase, a farmer from the area, said ‘‘the whole road is an accident waiting to happen’’.

But in particular, he said, the temporary Bailey bridge had two ‘‘running planks’’ for cars and trucks, which were ‘‘semi-OK’’, but not appropriate for motorcycles.

‘‘In fact, it’s a bloody dumb idea for a motorbike, come to think of it.’’

The danger to motorcyclists on the Bailey bridge was ‘‘not dissimilar’’ to the dangers of old combination rail and road bridges, Borlase said, because motorbikes could get caught on PHOTO: BRADEN FASTIER/STUFF the running planks.

‘‘All it would take would be a moment’s inattention, or the sun getting in your eyes,’’ he said.

‘‘I just feel really sorry for the woman and her family. She didn’t need to die.

‘‘It’s sad, really.’’

A police spokeswoman confirmed that the crash happened on the Bailey bridge, but said it was ‘‘too early to speculate on any potential cause or contributing factor’’.

The Serious Crash Unit is investigating.

Several Bailey bridges were added to SH63 in February 2017 after the Kaikoura earthquake