Te Paea and Ray Smith pictured at the railway crossing on Hewletts Road where their daughter, Jorja-Ray (11), was tragically killed by a train.
The grieving mum of a schoolgirl killed after a train hit her has spoken of the heartbreaking pain she and the child’s father are suffering as safety improvements for the crossing where the tragedy happened are announced.
Yesterday, it was announced that a specially designed walkway called a pedestrian maze would be installed along with fencing in the area of the crossing by mid-November.
Jorja-Ray Smith, 11, died when she was struck by a train at the Hewletts Rd railway pedestrian level crossing while biking home from Mount Maunganui Intermediate School on July 31.
Her mother, Te Paea Smith, previously called for the installation of barriers for pedestrians and cyclists, “zigzag” railing, and a timetable change for trains travelling through the area.
Jorja-Ray Smith of Mount Maunganui died when she was struck by a train at the Hewletts Road level rail crossing.
Speaking to the Bay of Plenty Times, Smith said she was “really pleased” to hear safety improvements were being made.
While it was “too late” for Jorja-Ray, “I’m glad other kids are going to be okay”, she said.
She said the pedestrian maze would encourage people to “look around a bit more and focus more on what you’re doing with your bike”.
Smith said she and Jorja-Ray’s father, Ray Smith, were struggling to come to terms with their loss and had days where “everything’s great, and then everything’s not so great”.
“For instance, I can look at Jorja-Ray’s photos and smile, but then the next day I’ll look at them and just cry and cry and cry.”
Smith said losing Jorja-Ray “doesn’t seem to get easier”.
“If anything, it gets worse.
“She was just so young - we just wish we were there, not her. It’s awful to go to her grave and to know that she’s there and we’re leaving her there.
“We used to worry about who was going to look after her when we were gone, and the fact that she’s gone first - we’re never going to get over that.”
Te Paea and Ray Smith pictured at the railway crossing on Hewletts Road where their daughter, Jorja-Ray, was tragically killed by a train earlier this year. Photo / Alex Cairns
A joint media statement from Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency, KiwiRail and Tauranga City Council on Monday said a subsequent review of the crossing had resulted in a decision by the three agencies to “bring forward” plans to improve safety measures.
Some “immediate improvements” would be made to both sides of the crossing where Jorja-Ray was killed, with the installation of a paved and fenced “pedestrian maze” and additional fencing to prevent crossing at other areas along the track, the statement said.
Designing the improvements was under way and construction was expected to begin in the coming weeks, with completion expected by mid-November.
A pedestrian maze is a specially designed walkway to slow people down before they walk over the tracks, prompting them to look up and down the track before crossing, the statement said.
Te Paea Smith has previously called for the installation of barriers for pedestrians and cyclists, “zigzag” railing and a timetable change for trains travelling through the area. Photo / Alex Cairns
In the statement, KiwiRail chief of operations Siva Sivapakkiam said the incident was “very traumatic” for everyone involved.
“We offer our condolences to the whānau on the loss of a much-loved family member, and acknowledge the distressing impact on the school, the wider community and our staff.”
Sivapakkiam said KiwiRail was always looking for ways to work with Waka Kotahi and local councils to improve safety at crossings and the maze was one way of doing this.
Tauranga City Council transport network safety and sustainability manager Anna Somerville said: “We are happy to facilitate delivery of the pedestrian maze to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists using this crossing point.”
While the short-term safety improvements were under way, Waka Kotahi, Tauranga City Council and KiwiRail would continue working on the long-term plan to further increase safety at this railway pedestrian level crossing, the statement said.
Waka Kotahi regional relationships director for Waikato and Bay of Plenty David Speirs said improvements to the crossing were proposed in the wider Connecting Mount Maunganui project, where Waka Kotahi was working with council and iwi partners on solutions to boost more travel choices, improve safety and travel time reliability and environmental outcomes.
“These solutions require significant investment and time to implement, so it’s good to see our collective organisations coming together to develop something that will immediately improve safety at the crossing,” Speirs said.
Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.
