Boy, 10, in stable condition in Starship Hospital after being hit on Otaika pedestrian crossing

Emergency services at the Otaika pedestrian crossing after a 10-year-old boy was struck. PHOTO/ John Stone

A 10-year-old Whangarei boy who was hit by a car while on a pedestrian crossing remains in a stable condition in Starship Children's Hospital.

The boy was struck while crossing the road near Otaika shopping centre and landed about 12m away. The incident happened at 12.35pm on Wednesday.

He was initially taken to Whangarei Hospital but at about 5.30pm was transferred in a serious condition to Auckland's Starship Hospital by the Northland Rescue Helicopter.

Police said they were monitoring the boy's condition closely and were continuing to investigate whether charges would be laid.

The driver of the car involved had been spoken to.

Police at the scene shortly after the collision said traffic flow had been heavy in both directions. The boy was struck by a southbound car.

The pedestrian crossing at Otaika was the focus of major improvements in 2010 after local resident Pauline Edwards started a petition following numerous accidents there. The prime minister at the time, John Key, signed the petition.

The upgrade included improved lighting, using a red, textured surface on the pedestrian island to make it more visible, laying a skid-resistant surface on the highway approaches to the crossing to improve braking, and placing the traditional black-and-white pedestrian crossing on a red surface.

Line-marking around the crossing was improved as well.

After Wednesday's incident, local business owners said more needed to be done - and suggested traffic lights or a pedestrian bridge.