A pedestrian culture of not looking properly was prevalent in Wellington.

Pedestrians - not drivers - were at fault in most crashes involving pedestrians in central Wellington.

A long-awaited pedestrian safety review was released today at a briefing for Wellington city councillors.

Safe and sustainable transport manager Paul Barker told councillors while accidents were rare, a pedestrian culture of not looking properly was prevalent in Wellington.

''It's a small percentage, but it's a worrying percentage.''

‘‘We accept that pedestrians are stepping into the road way and not looking to the right,’’ he said.

Recommendations put forward include:

Slowing down traffic to 20kmh through Willis and Manners streets

Introducing street furniture such as benches to create safer crossing areas

Making buses easier to see

Reducing the waiting times at lights

Using social media campaigns to encourage safer crossing behaviours

Red light cameras

Training bus drivers to leave larger gaps between vehicles

The end of Bond St will also be blocked to prevent cars turning in to Willis St.



However, handing out fines for jaywalking and permanent barriers are not on the cards.



While accidents were common along the whole Golden Mile, the worst stretch was Willis St, between Mercer and Manners streets, the reports found.

The aim was to create an environment that made it as easy as possible for people to make the right choice, while also lessening the potential impact when people didn’t, Mr Barker said.



‘‘We accept that humans fail, and we need a system that picks up and compensates for that.’’

The reports were commissioned after accidents between pedestrians and buses on the new two-way bus route - including the death of jogger Venessa Green last year. NZ Bus director Tim Brown was also seriously injured last month.

At least 13 people have been hit by buses since the council's $12.5 million Manners St bus lane opened in November 2010, and a series of vehicles exiting Bond St are understood to have been hit by buses at the busy junction.

Findings from the survey of more than 1300 people included:

People 25 and under were more likely to cross at non-signalled points

Women were least likely to look properly before stepping out,

At controlled crossings people would use a ''pack mentality'', assuming people at the front of the crowd had looked

Twenty-five people were observed crossing without looking right.



CitiOperations manager Mike Mendonca said the barriers temporary barriers along Willis St would stay for up to a year.



The barriers would only be taken down once officers were satisfied the environment was safer, he said.



Mayor Celia Wade-Brown welcomed the ''complimentary'' studies that made up the review, and said she supported moves to keep temporary barriers along Willis St until more permanent changes could be made.



''What we're trying to do, rather than allocate blame in anyway is find solutions ...so that a mistake doesn't result in injury or death.



The pedestrian safety study was launched earlier this year by a steering group made up of Wellington City Council, NZ Bus, police, the Tramways Union, NZ Transport Agency and Greater Wellington regional council.

How do you cross the road? The law:

In New Zealand there is no law against jaywalking most of the time – you are legally allowed to cross the road.

However, there are rules around where and how you cross the road, and infringements ranging from $10 to $35 can be dished out if you decide to make an unsafe dash to the other side.

The main rule is that, if you are within 20 metres of a controlled crossing – either a zebra crossing or light signals – you are required to walk to that crossing to make your way across the road.

You are meant to wait for the green man at intersections controlled by signals.

You are required to keep to the footpath while walking, and cross at right angles rather than diagonally.

Fines issued for pedestrian offences from 2006 to 2011:

Crossing against the red human figure traffic symbol, $10 fine – 13 (4 of them in the Wellington district)

Crossing within 20m of pedestrian crossing, $35 fine – 2 (both in Wellington district)

Crossing within 20m of traffic signals, $35 fine – 3 (Wellington district)

Crossing other than at right angles, $35 fine – 1 (0 in Wellington district)

Failing to keep to footpath, $35 fine – 3 (1 in Wellington district)

Failing to keep to edge of roadway, $35 fine – 0

Suddenly entering a pedestrian crossing, $35 fine – 1 (0 in Wellington district)





Related stories:



Safety barrier plan for Willis St

Wellington: NZ's jaywalking capital



Contact Katie Chapman

Wellington reporter

Email: katie.chapman@dompost.co.nz

Twitter: @katiechapman28