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SOPHIE TRIGGER / Stuff
Resident Doug Clark said the stolen traffic lights was for laughs or money.
A set of temporary traffic lights has been stolen in Blenheim, a city famous for having no traffic lights.
And while residents of the road where the works are taking place say the theft is “a little stupid,” one acknowledges that the lights could be a “good memory.”
Although, at $ 13,000, perhaps the theft is more than a joke.
Police posted on social media Thursday that a remote set of lights had been stolen from New Renwick Rd, near the intersection with Battys Rd.
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The lights, which had been taken from a locked garage after being stored overnight, were owned by Fulton Hogan.
Resident Doug Clark said he saw a worker picking up the lights last week while walking home.
He recalled thinking that they could be stolen if they were not kept overnight.
“It’s a good trick if you like jokes, but they are also quite valuable.
“It would be money or a joke.”
The traffic lights were part of the ongoing roadworks due to a new roundabout entering the intersection of Battys Rd and New Renwick Rd.
This round of road works was expected to last until February next year. The lights had been there for about two weeks.
The design drawings showed that the roundabout would have a bay to turn left from Battys Rd to New Renwick Rd, and from New Renwick Rd to Battys Rd. A new crosswalk would be created on the Richardson Ave arm.
Resident Shirley Woodhouse said afternoon traffic could get stuck on New Renwick Rd due to lights.
“It doesn’t really bother us, we can get out pretty easily,” he said. “It’s just patience, that’s all.”
Neville Miller doubted the lights were caught in a moment of road rage. Most of the people had been patient with the road works.
However, he thought that someone might have stolen the traffic lights as a “good memory”.
Resident Helen Campbell thought stealing the lights was “a little stupid.” In fact, the lights had made it easier for people to cross New Renwick Rd, he said.
“We have the doctor, the pharmacist and the dentist in the complex … The woman next to me is 86 years old and cannot cross the street. For the moment, with the lights, it really helps. “