Jogger who died is 7th person hit by a bus since lanes opened

Venessa Green. Photo / Supplied

A jogger who died in hospital after she was hit by a bus in central Wellington this week is the seventh pedestrian to have had such an accident since priority bus lanes opened in the central city last year.

Venessa Green, 40, was struck by a bus in Willis St about 1.10pm on Tuesday. She died in hospital on Wednesday night.

Andy Smith, president of advocacy group Living Streets Aotearoa, said people needed to stop blaming pedestrians for "being in the way of the buses".

"Pedestrians are the creatures that need to be protected, not the buses," he said. "The buses should slow down and be more considerate.

"The roads have been changed from a pedestrian area to a bus-only area. Is that good or bad? I can't say, you'd have to ask the locals. We have to share the road though."

The Wellington City Council said that of the seven people hit by buses, five had been taken to hospital and one had died.

Ms Green's parents had been in Australia taking a break from earthquakes in Christchurch but reached her bedside while she was still alive.

She was close to completing a master's degree in health science and was also an administrator at the university.

- Jeff Bell and NZPA