A fence has been put up around a popular Rotorua skate park to increase safety for its users.
The changes follow an incident in June when a 9-year-old Rotorua boy was left with serious injuries after he was hit by a CityRide bus.
The boy had been at the parkon June 30 with his older brother when he rode his push scooter across Ranolf St and collided with the side of the bus.
He was taken to Auckland's Starship hospital and was later admitted to a rehabilitation centre in Auckland, where he is currently recovering.
Rotorua District Council parks and recreation manager Garry Page said the accident sparked the initiative to improve safety for users of the skate park.
"As a result we have realigned a stretch of the footpath and rebuilt it away from the edge of Ranolf St and erected a wooden framed fence between the footpath and the road," he said.
"Gardens will be planted alongside the fence for beautification purposes and as a further deterrent to skateboard park users from crossing the road at what can be a very busy and potentially dangerous point."
Mr Page said he hoped the fence would redirect young people to the intersection where there was a pedestrian crossing as part of the traffic lights.
He said some shops in the area were still a drawcard for those using the skate park and he hoped the fence would encourage them to use the designated crossing.
"We had also looked at putting a fence alongside the kerb on the other side of the road as well but unfortunately this couldn't be done safely without impeding traffic or pedestrians," he said.
"In the end there is no silver bullet solution other than good education from parents and caregivers about the risks of not using traffic signals or pedestrian crossings when crossing busy roads.
"Kids will be kids, so parents, please talk to your children if they are using this skateboard park. We want to see them being able to safely enjoy their local skateboard facility but we certainly don't want to see any more tragic accidents in this location."
