Some Eastside locals are calling for an urgent review of safety measures on the stretch of Te Ngae Rd where two pedestrians were hit a week apart.
Two people were hit by vehicles within a kilometre of each other in a period of eight days, prompting some locals to call for safety improvements.
The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) reported eight crashes involving pedestrians along the section of Te Ngae Rd in the past five years.
Four were at night and one at a signalised pedestrian crossing.
But the NZTA said improvements were expected within 12 months.
Residents and workers in the area spoke to the Rotorua Daily Post and said speed, driver attention, high traffic and poor street lighting made the section of highway dangerous for pedestrians.
Oceana Cameron, 16, has been told she would not walk again unassisted after she suffered a severed spinal cord when hit by a car on Te Ngae Rd last Tuesday at about 6.35pm.
Eight days later, a pedestrian was injuredin a collision with a vehicle on Te Ngae Rd, near the intersection with Sunrise Ave, shortly after 6.30pm.
Mary Nicholas lives on Basley Rd, near Te Ngae Rd, and said the road was dangerous for pedestrians, even those who used the crossings.
She said a combination of the high volume of traffic, speed and a lack of mindfulness from drivers has made Te Ngae Rd dangerous.
Her son, Matiu Sane, 9, had a close call with a bus that almost did not stop in time at the crossing and he had to walk around it.
"Pedestrians are hard to see at the best of times," she said.
"Road users need to be mindful that while it is a really busy road there is heavy foot traffic including kids and the elderly."
Mad Butcher worker Todd Hughs said he believed lighting, speed, and the "horrible" roundabout made the road dangerous.
He said the area the pedestrian was hit on Wednesday was "not well lit at all".
"People don't really slow down there, I've seen people drive straight through those traffic lights."
Hughs moved to Rotorua from Auckland in January and said while the traffic was not as bad here, in his opinion the road was dangerous for drivers and pedestrians.
He said pedestrians also needed to use the crossings instead of crossing anywhere.
NZTA regional transport systems manager Rob Campbell previously said the Tarawera Rd/Te Ngae Rd intersection would be changed to be controlled by traffic lights.
Campbell said the public could expect the completion of a section of four-laning, and improvements to shared pathways and the pedestrian underpass.
Rotorua Lakes Council infrastructure general manager Stavros Michael said the council had been working with the NZTA to improve the corridor.
"Investigations since 2015 identified that there are clear safety and community severance risks on the corridor and a range of staged improvements are planned," he said.
Campbell said the NZTA was planning to review the speed limit along the entire section of Te Ngae Rd as part of the national speed review process.
Work on the Eastern Corridor Stage One project covered the section of Te Ngae Rd from Sala St to Iles Rd.
These include improvements of shared paths, signalising the Tarawera roundabout, improvements to the pedestrian underpass under the Puarenga Bridge and street lighting improvements, Campbell said.
NZTA acting director safety & environment, Niclas Johansson, said an average of 11 people every week were either seriously injured or killed in a speed-related crash on New Zealand roads.
"This is particularly true in any crash where a vehicle strikes a pedestrian or a cyclist," he said.
Works include:
• Upgrades to shared paths
• Signalising the Tarawera Roundabout to improve pedestrian safety
• Improvements to the pedestrian underpass under the Puarenga Bridge
• Street lighting improvements.
