Kara Shortland (second from left) at yesterday's community protest calling for action at a dangerous crossing in Raumanga. Photo / Brodie Stone
Whangārei residents fear their pleas for stronger safety measures at a notorious pedestrian crossing are not being heard.
That was why they turned out yesterday in Raumanga to call for decisive action from NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi [NZTA] regarding the crossing on State Highway 1, outside the Ōtaika Shopping Centre.
The agency said it was investigating possible options for safety improvements that could be delivered quickly.
About 60 people with signs including “Keep Raumanga Safe” and “Save Lives” lined the street near the crossing.
The protest followed two incidents where people have been hit at the crossing this year, including one where school teacher Kara Shortland was thrown into the air after being hit by a vehicle.
Shortland was pleased to see so many people calling for action, among them children.
But he worried that change wasn’t coming.
“Something tells me that we’re going to see more people, they’re going to be hit.”
Raumanga community rōpū chairwoman Chanelle Armstrong said that yesterday’s protest was a last resort.
“How many people does it take getting hit until something’s done about this?”
Armstrong believed the crossing could be the “most dangerous in the city”.
She worried that vegetation on the side of the crossing and vehicles travelling quickly downhill meant visibility was poor for spotting children.
“Our community deserve more. They deserve to be safe when they cross this road.”
Armstrong said there hadn’t been any significant changes to the crossing for the past 10 years.
“It’s been too long, and I don’t want to wait another 10 years until they decide, actually, Raumanga is worth putting some money into.”
Among those at yesterday’s gathering were local and central government representatives, including Te Pāti Māori MP Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, who said “lives are seriously at risk”.
Her whānau live in the area and she said that every time they need to cross, “it’s literally like taking your life in your own hands”.
Despite attending community meetings where NZTA was called upon for action, Kapa-Kingi said, it didn’t seem like much was happening.
“It’s gloves off now.”
Carol Peters, an urban general ward councillor on the Whangārei District Council, said people should come before cars.
“We need to prioritise our citizens and the safety of our citizens.”
She believed the solution was traffic lights or an underpass.
Peters said it was “absolutely critical” NZTA came to the table with a solution.
Green Party MP Hūhana Lyndon said the crossing had been an issue for too long.
“Why should the community have to wait another year, another six months, when mokopuna and grannies are getting near misses and hit regularly?
“Now is the time to invest in it,” Lyndon said.
“Find the money, and make it happen.”
Whangārei Mayor Vince Cocurullo said the biggest change in the area over the past few years was the volume of vehicles.
Because the road was a state highway, it was up to NZTA to take action, not the council.
Cocurullo said NZTA was currently focused on projects such as the Brynderwyn upgrade and the four-lane highway.
But he said it was clear the community wanted their request prioritised.
Cocurullo believed the road needed repainting and temporary measures could improve safety, such as a raised hump.
He was doubtful that lights would fix the issue because people were still walking across the road without heeding traffic.
Cocurullo said the council had put the community’s requests to the NZTA.
“We can only make suggestions and that’s exactly what we’ve already done.”
The Transport Agency said staff had attended two community meetings to hear concerns first-hand.
“An initial round of vegetation clearing to ensure road users have a clear line of sight and that the crossing remains in good condition has been carried out.”
The long-term solution for safety improvement would be the delivery of the urban Whangārei section of the Northland corridor.
Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.