Local residents have been warning of the dangers of cars illegally using the Pirie Street bus tunnel for months. In the early hours of this morning, our worst possible fears were realised when a pedestrian was hit in the tunnel by what appears to be an illegal tunnel runner. The man is in a serious condition in Wellington hospital, and - as has been the case with too many car/pedestrian accidents - the driver didn't stop.

Police forensic investigators have spent most of the morning in the tunnel, and are looking for the driver of the vehicle. Any residents with information that may assist the Police are requested to call the Wellington Police Station.

While some may think that the pedestrian took a needless risk by walking through the bus tunnel, we think there's ample blame to go around.

• A few weeks ago the Wellington City Council re-sealed the tunnel, and in the process the contractor removed the speed bumps that were a significant deterrent to boy racers. Local residents rang the Council to ask when the speed bumps would be reinstated, only to be told by the contractor that it wasn't a priority. No timeline was given by the contractor for when the work would be done, despite residents warning of the safety issues. As a result, there has been a noticeable upswing in cars speeding through the tunnel.
• The pedestrian hit in the tunnel is just one of many, many people who use the bus tunnel late at night or early in the morning; many pedestrians know when the last bus has gone for the night, and as a result don't expect to be confronted by a speeding motorist. According to local residents, the primary reason pedestrians use the bus tunnel is because the air quality is so poor in the main Mt Victoria tunnel - as anyone who has ever walked through can testify. Pedestrian advocacy groups have been requesting an upgrade to the main Mt Vic tunnel for years - most notably as part of the Ngauranga to Airport Corridor Plan - yet the NZ Transport Agency (formerly Transit), the Greater Wellington Regional Council and the Wellington City Council have been ignoring them for (literally) decades. If the main tunnel was safer, far fewer pedestrians would take the risk of using the bus tunnel.

This is not an "accident". This is a completely avoidable tragedy that never needed to happen.

Updated: Within 20 minutes of the Police finishing their work and re-opening the bus tunnel, motorists were seen illegally running the tunnel again - one of whom we captured on film:

It seems high time the Police had a long, hard look at their enforcement policies regarding the Mt Victoria bus tunnel.