Northland drivers advised to maintain caution when using busy Whangārei intersection

The intersection of Cameron St and Walton St is known to be "notoriously bad" for crashes. Photo/ Tania Whyte

Drivers are being advised to be vigilant at a busy Whangārei crossing often described as a crash hotspot.

Figures obtained from Whangārei District Council show that the intersection at Walton St and Cameron St has seen 22 crashes in the past five years.

On Thursday, police attended a two-vehicle crash, the latest to be added to the toll.

An officer at the scene said that, after the traffic lights turned green, a car turning right to Cameron St collided with an oncoming vehicle from Walton St.

“It’s always the exact scenario and happens all the time. This intersection is known to be notoriously bad and needs to be sorted out by the council.”

The council statistics suggested 16 of the crashes happened when a “vehicle made a turn”, while others occurred when cars either slowed down to stop due to signals or overtook other cars.

As most of the crashes were said to happen at relatively low speeds, only seven people were reported to have suffered minor injuries, with the majority escaping without much harm.

Council transport planning and strategy manager Jeff Devine said the council acknowledged the ongoing problem.

Since land wasn’t easily available, the existing road could not be widened to make a dedicated lane for turning across the intersection.

“The narrow stretch of road with fewer lanes is not ideal ... As a result, crashes are usually caused by drivers failing to give way to traffic that has the right of way.

“However, the issues are likely to be resolved in coming years as the centre-city plan changes the routes traffic takes in this area, reducing the chances for traffic movement conflict. That is the better long-term option.”

In the meantime, the council encouraged people to take caution when using the intersection, Devine said.

Avneesh Vincent is the crime and emergency services reporter at the Advocate. He was previously at the Gisborne Herald as the arts and environment reporter and is passionate about covering stories that can make a difference. He joined NZME in July 2023.