Auckland CBD’s College Hill called ‘very dangerous’ after swathe of serious e-scooter crashes

A man has been left with serious head injuries after coming off an e-scooter in the Auckland CBD on a dangerous stretch of road on College Hill that has been plagued with issues after a giant sinkhole last year.

Grace, who only wished to be identified by her first name, works from home in her apartment overlooking the bump and said she has seen a dozen serious accidents.

“This is a very dangerous stretch of road, extremely bumpy and uneven since the sinkhole fiasco, and has injured many scooter riders in the six months I have lived here.”

People are often left bloody and disoriented after their falls, but last night’s was the worst she had seen.

The rider came off his scooter and was knocked immediately unconscious and “bleeding profusely” from his head.

A man was left with serious head injuries after a crash on College Hill last night.

The man appeared to have broken his ankle, had a severe head injury and was vomiting when he regained consciousness.

“When I first saw him I thought he was dead,” Grace said.

A St John spokesperson said the man was treated at the scene before being taken to Auckland Hospital in serious condition at about 9.20pm.

Grace said the recently repaired stretch of the road had a hump as big as a speed bump, but without any markings and was extremely hard for people to see.

A construction fence also blocks a portion of the footpath before the bumps forcing e-scooters to use the road.

A fence is blocking the footpath, forcing e-scooter users to use the dangerous road.

A 3m diameter and 1m deep sinkhole opened up on College Hill last July after a 108-year-old stormwater pipe beneath the road cracked, leading groundwater to seep in during this year’s heavy rain, taking fill with it, and leading to the collapse.

This stretch of road is not the only area where people have been seriously injured or killed by e-scooters in the Auckland CBD.

Ryan Taylor, 30, died after crashing his e-scooter on Ian McKinnon Drive in Eden Terrace in January.

Toben “Toby” Hunt, 23, died in 2019 after falling off a Lime e-scooter in downtown Auckland.

E-scooters are exempt from being classed as motor vehicles and are allowed to travel on roads, cycleways and footpaths.

An Auckland Transport spokesperson said: “We have had a report in about the incident last night, near Ponsonby, and will be assisting police as needed.

“They will be looking into the circumstances of the incident – which as I’m sure you are aware, will include behavioural factors.”

Rachel Maher is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. She has worked for the Herald since 2022.