Napier City Council received a number of complaints about a deadly intersection where a pregnant woman was killed earlier this year, RNZ has revealed.

Olawande Braimoh, 36, was four months pregnant when she was hit by a bus on April 17 at a pedestrian crossing in Tennyson St.

She was walking to work at the Ministry for Social Development (MSD), and as she crossed at the lights, a bus turning right into Tennyson St struck her.

A woman who was on the footpath when it happened told RNZ what she saw.

"You hear a massive bang and you think the bus had taken out the powerline lights in the middle, you wait for the bus to drive past and you realise the person you saw crossing the road two seconds ago is no longer there.

"All you could hear after the bang was the people in the bus screaming.”

The witness worked and lived in the area, and said the intersection had been a problem for many years. Pedestrians could only get halfway across the four-lane road before traffic was given the green light to turn into Tennyson St.

"It is notoriously dangerous. There are a lot of near-misses, a lot of cars being T-boned because they are rushing through," she said.

The 72-year-old bus driver was charged with careless or inconsiderate vehicle operation causing death and would be sentenced this week.

But others who worked nearby told RNZ that a deadly accident at the busy intersection was inevitable.

"The amount of near-misses we've seen, the amount of hits we've seen, including car crashes - I'm not surprised at all. I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner," a local retailer said. 

Another worker agreed.

"I've seen a few car accidents in that area, a lot of beeping, a lot of frustrated drivers.

"There was a day when I came to work and I saw a car accident when there was a baby in the car, the mum was driving and the car was going straight - they all collided together. Something needs to be done," he said.

In a similar incident, a woman was crushed by a bus at the same intersection in 2019. She survived, and contacted RNZ about her concerns.

"It absolutely disgusts me to know that not only are these accidents still continuing at this intersection, but that the same bus company that was responsible for my accident, caused Wande's death," she said.

Official information released to RNZ showed that since 2019, the Napier City Council had received 12 reports of near-misses, incidents, safety concerns and hazards such as lights malfunctioning.

One complainant had been raising safety concerns since 2023.

"I am concerned that someone will be hurt soon... Please keep in mind that children also use this crossing before and after school, elderly and people with limited abilities crossing to go to WINZ... the building staff amounts to around 300 people," the complainant told the council.

A worker in the building told RNZ it was a well-known issue that had been raised with the council numerous times.

"My understanding is that a lot of staff from Oranga Tamariki had raised complaints with the council because there had been near-misses and they've got children and all that coming and going from the office.

"They were told that it would just impact the flow of the traffic so they couldn't do anything," he said.

"People are almost run over daily - near-misses from buses and private vehicles. Client and staff alike. There are a lot of elderly coming into the building too, for either Kainga Ora or MSD. Old people simply cannot cross in time," said another worker.

A business owner said many people had been complaining to council for years.

"So many times, even the landlord from here, they've raised it, we've raised it.

"It's absolutely disappointing... it's a lack of accountability. Everyone passes the buck knowing that they're not going to get in trouble," he said.

'She would have made it if the council had done what they should'

Napier City Council declined RNZ's request for an interview, saying it acknowledged concerns had been raised.

"Council referred these concerns to the specialist traffic signal operators for review, and changes have since been made to give pedestrians more time before turning traffic moves."

Documents from the council revealed that just days before Olawande was hit, the council was looking at extending the timings to give pedestrians more protection.

"A further complaint was received on 20 March 2026 and the Contractor was instructed to update the controller to provide more protection on 27 March 2026 via telephone. The design for the update was actioned on 1 April 2026 by the Contractor and implemented 26 May 2026."

Emails between the council and the New Zealand Transport Agency, which took over control of the lights in December 2025, showed that since Olawande's death, the pedestrian crossing time had been extended by 10 seconds.

The woman who witnessed the tragedy believed that change could have saved Olawande's life.

"If that 10 seconds had been done in March she would have been in the second part of the lane closest to the building - she would have made it if the council had done what they should, she was halfway through that first lane when she got hit," she said.

She was furious the council did not make those changes years earlier.

"I want the council to do better. It shouldn't have taken years of complaining for it to be looked at, and someone dying - their unborn baby dying - for them to do better."

Even with longer pedestrian crossing times, there were still concerns the intersection could claim another life because traffic often failed to give way to pedestrians.

"It still happens now. So I don't know whether it's going to be a repeat in a few years time, which I hope never does, but I'm not convinced the council's fixed the problem," said a local worker.

He felt it would be safer if there was a designated traffic light for turning vehicles, so they didn't have to give way to pedestrians.

Emails from the NZTA to Napier City Council had identified the same idea - asking: "Would possible future solution of putting in some red arrows to give pedestrians full protection be worth looking into?"

The council would not say if it was looking at further changes to the intersection.

"Pedestrian and road user safety is a priority for Council with regular monitoring of the traffic signal operation across the network and review of settings in response to community concerns and technical advice," a spokesperson said.

Another issue raised about the intersection was the placement of a large office block for the Ministry of Social Development and Oranga Tamariki.

Locals told RNZ that because there wasn't enough parking for staff and clients, many whanau, elderly and children needed to cross the busy road as they parked in the shopping centre opposite.

"I don't know why they allowed such a big building to go here," one man said.

The Ministry for Social Development said it did have customer parking available at the rear of the building, which could be busy at time so some clients may choose nearby public parking.

Regional commissioner for East Coast, Steve Smits-Murray, said they were devastated by what happened to Wande.

"Her family remain in our thoughts. Our staff were deeply affected. As well as providing support to those who were impacted, we contacted Napier City Council shortly after Wande's death to raise concerns about the pedestrian crossing lights near our office.

"While the cause of the accident remains a matter for ongoing investigations, we appreciate that Napier City Council reviewed the crossing and made changes to extend the pedestrian crossing time," he said.