![\"Otonga](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/otonga-primary-school-principal-gareth-cunliffe-at-the-sprin-NUCP35DXONEBFDH7XWBPE7COIQ.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe 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 \u201caccident waiting to happen\u201d.<\/p>\n
By Mathew Nash, Local Democracy Reporter <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt 8am or 3pm down there, it is mayhem,\u201d Otonga Road Primary School principal Gareth Cunliffe said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got young children trying to cross the road, and then you\u2019ve got vehicles coming from either direction, sometimes at speed, or utes backing out into traffic. It is a recipe for disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said visibility issues caused by vegetation, buildings, fences, parked cars and sunstrike added to confusion around the crossing layout.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just have so much going on in a very, very tight area,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
When Local Democracy Reporting visited the site this week, many of the concerns raised by the school were visible during afternoon pick-up.<\/p>\n
Traffic queued back through the roundabout at times, while some children appeared hesitant crossing through the traffic.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve come to see the chaos,\u201d one mother said while collecting her children from school.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Otonga Primary School principal Gareth Cunliffe at the Springfield Rd and Otonga Rd roundabout and crossing. (Source: Local Democracy Reporting)<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Cunliffe pointed to a nearby crossing where he said a boy was hit by a vehicle several years ago while riding a scooter.<\/p>\n
He said the child suffered a broken leg, which was classified as a serious injury.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The council said the current design was introduced after the school raised concerns in 2017, when pedestrians were observed crossing informally at the intersection.<\/p>\n
The council\u2019s infrastructure and assets group manager, Stavros Michael, said a safety assessment led to the crossing being aligned with \u201cdesire lines\u201d, the natural paths pedestrians were already taking, while incorporating formal safety features.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cDrivers don\u2019t always adjust their speed to suit school environments, where children can behave unpredictably,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Crash data supplied by the council shows six crashes recorded at the site between 2010 and 2017, compared with three between 2018 and 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile any incident is concerning, this reduction indicates that the changes made have improved safety overall,\u201d Michael said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Instead, the council planned upgrades including tactile paving, hold bars and improved pedestrian guidance features, alongside ongoing education initiatives with the school.<\/p>\n
\u201cInfrastructure is only one part of the solution. Safe speeds, education and driver awareness are just as important.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cunliffe said traffic volumes and pedestrian activity had increased significantly since the crossing was installed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe increase in traffic and the increase in our children wanting to ride, bike and walk to school makes it a really, really busier place.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the school had introduced its own safety measures, including road safety training, teacher supervision at peak times and increased communication with families.<\/p>\n
However, he said those measures could not fully address what he viewed as underlying design problems.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can stand there at those peak times and probably video a few missed calls every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
NZTA was approached for comment but, as the crossing was on a local road, said it was the council\u2019s responsibility.<\/p>\n
– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The principal of a Rotorua primary school has called on Rotorua Lakes Council and the New Zealand Transport…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":452035,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,1756,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-452034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-tauranga-bay-of-plenty","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452034","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=452034"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/452034\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/452035"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=452034"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=452034"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=452034"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}