Opinion: Pedestrian crossing needed

Police near Baypark after a teenager, believed to be going to Bay Dreams, was hit by a car. PHOTO/GEORGE NOVAK

What a nightmare it was driving down State Highway 29a after the Bay Dreams event.

I got a phone call from my younger brother on Monday evening asking if I could pick him and his fiancee up from the festival.

They had planned to walk a few kilometres down the road to where they were staying, but the heavy rain soon put a stop to that plan.

I got in my car and drove towards Baypark along the Maungatapu Expressway, barely able to see the white lines on the road through the bucketing rain.

As I drew closer to the stadium, I began noticing shadowy figures creeping along the road.

The phantoms flickered briefly into my vision as my headlights passed over. Straggling hair and unkempt clothing showing signs of their dank distress.

I approached the stadium with trepidation.

At the roundabout, police officers had parked their cars in full view and were doing their best to usher hordes of festival-goers to safety.

One harassed-looking fellow gestured the universal signal for cash at me in a bid to entice me to give him a lift, just as my brother and his fiancee found my car.

Off we went.

Driving down Maunganui Rd towards Bayfair, the street lights were far and few between and, with no footpath, people were walking on the edge of the road, drifting out into the lane when road signs or parked cars blocked their path.

Some tried to cross the road to get to the side with better lighting and footpaths, a dangerous endeavour in itself.

I don't blame the event organisers for the mayhem - from what I've heard, it was a great event and there were free buses on offer.

I also don't blame the concert-goers, who only wanted a way home without forking out for a peak-hour taxi, or waiting in the rain for a bus.

My biggest concern is that the city's only stadium straddles the juncture of two state highways and there is nowhere safe to cross.

Earlier in the day, a person was seriously injured when presumably crossing the road to get to the festival.

Nowhere along that stretch of road, until you get to the pedestrian tunnel between the golf course and Bayfair, is there a safe place to cross.

NZ Transport Agency regional highways manager Niclas Johansson said in Wednesday's paper it was concerning a pedestrian was hit by a car and the agency would look closely at the findings of the police investigation into the crash to see if safety improvements could be made at the site.

This wasn't the first and won't be the last event of its kind at the stadium - I just hope something is done soon before another person is hit.