Wellington police investigate 'significant crash scene' after pedestrian hit and killed by bus

Cordons were put in place and motorists were asked to avoid the Taranaki St area between Ghuznee St and Bidwill St. Photo / File

Police have completed the examination of "quite a significant" crash scene after a pedestrian was hit by a bus and killed in central Wellington last night.

Emergency services were called to Taranaki St just before 10pm on Saturday after the pedestrian was fatally hit by a bus.

Cordons were put in place and motorists were asked to avoid the Taranaki St area between Ghuznee St and Bidwill St.

Police spent the night examining the scene and the road didn't reopen until shortly after 7am this morning.

A police spokesperson said it was "quite a significant" crash scene in terms of the size of the area and it took some time to process.

No further scene examination would take place today and the overall crash investigation will be ongoing, the spokesperson said.

A Greater Wellington Regional Council spokesperson confirmed the vehicle involved was a Metlink bus, but said they could not provide further details as the matter was with police.

The death comes a decade after jogger Venessa Ann Green, 40, suffered critical injuries when she ran in front of a bus on Willis St in central Wellington on June 28, 2011.

She died in Wellington Hospital the next day.

In 2015 the Coroner recommended the Wellington City Council commission a further safety audit of the Golden Mile - which stretches through Wellington's CBD along Lambton Quay, Willis St and through to Courtenay Place - and of the pedestrians, motorists, cyclists and others who used it.

It would end up being the third safety audit of the area.

Manners St in particular has developed a notorious reputation for pedestrians getting hit by buses.

In July 2019 a pedestrian was hit by a double-decker bus on Manners St in the middle of the day.

The person was left seriously injured.

There had been 16 such incidents on Manners St the decade prior.

In 2010 Manners Mall was restored to a road in the form of a two-way bus route.

When the change was made it was touted as an integral part of a wider plan to improve transport in the region, not only improving travel times for commuters but also reducing bus congestion in the CBD.