The principal of a Rotorua primary school has called on Rotorua Lakes Council and the New Zealand Transport Agency to address safety concerns around a nearby pedestrian crossing he describes as an “accident waiting to happen”.
By Mathew Nash, Local Democracy Reporter
But the council says crash data shows an improvement in safety outcomes since the crossing was installed at the Springfield Rd and Otonga Rd roundabout in 2017.
“At 8am or 3pm down there, it is mayhem,” Otonga Road Primary School principal Gareth Cunliffe said.
The intersection became particularly hazardous during peak school times, when young children crossed alongside steady traffic flows, often amid poor visibility and distracted drivers, he said.
“You’ve got young children trying to cross the road, and then you’ve got vehicles coming from either direction, sometimes at speed, or utes backing out into traffic. It is a recipe for disaster.”
He said visibility issues caused by vegetation, buildings, fences, parked cars and sunstrike added to confusion around the crossing layout.
“You just have so much going on in a very, very tight area,” he said.
When Local Democracy Reporting visited the site this week, many of the concerns raised by the school were visible during afternoon pick-up.
Traffic queued back through the roundabout at times, while some children appeared hesitant crossing through the traffic.
“You’ve come to see the chaos,” one mother said while collecting her children from school.
At one point, a vehicle mounted the kerb near the crossing moments after a young child had been crouched over in the same location, tying her shoelaces.
Cunliffe pointed to a nearby crossing where he said a boy was hit by a vehicle several years ago while riding a scooter.
He said the child suffered a broken leg, which was classified as a serious injury.
The school and its board of trustees this month wrote to the council calling for an urgent safety review and potential relocation of the crossing.
They also wrote to NZTA, suggesting the current system did not align with its official advice for traffic control and best walking and cycling practice.
The council said the current design was introduced after the school raised concerns in 2017, when pedestrians were observed crossing informally at the intersection.
The council’s infrastructure and assets group manager, Stavros Michael, said a safety assessment led to the crossing being aligned with “desire lines”, the natural paths pedestrians were already taking, while incorporating formal safety features.
Michael said the council regularly received requests for improvements around schools, particularly relating to crossings and speed management, but driver behaviour remained a significant factor.
“Drivers don’t always adjust their speed to suit school environments, where children can behave unpredictably,” he said.
Crash data supplied by the council shows six crashes recorded at the site between 2010 and 2017, compared with three between 2018 and 2026.
“While any incident is concerning, this reduction indicates that the changes made have improved safety overall,” Michael said.
He said the council would not support relocating the crossing, arguing its current position reflected where pedestrians naturally chose to cross and moving it could encourage unsafe informal crossings.
Instead, the council planned upgrades including tactile paving, hold bars and improved pedestrian guidance features, alongside ongoing education initiatives with the school.
“Infrastructure is only one part of the solution. Safe speeds, education and driver awareness are just as important.”
Cunliffe said traffic volumes and pedestrian activity had increased significantly since the crossing was installed.
“The increase in traffic and the increase in our children wanting to ride, bike and walk to school makes it a really, really busier place.”
He said the school had introduced its own safety measures, including road safety training, teacher supervision at peak times and increased communication with families.
However, he said those measures could not fully address what he viewed as underlying design problems.
“I can stand there at those peak times and probably video a few missed calls every day.”
NZTA was approached for comment but, as the crossing was on a local road, said it was the council’s responsibility.
- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
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