The car involved in a crash with a bus in Auckland today was speeding and crossed the centre line, police say.
The Gowing Drive and Cruickshank Crescent intersection in Meadowbank, Auckland, is closed after a fatal car crash Photo: Anneke Smith / RNZ
One person died and ten people were injured as a result of the crash.
Emergency services were called to the crash on Gowing Drive in Meadowbank at 11.30am. St John sent four ambulances to the crash.
Fire and Emergency's northern shift manager Colin Underdown confirmed one person in the car died.
Another person was seriously injured and ten others with minor injuries were treated at the scene.
Police senior sergeant Matt Rogers said the car was speeding and crossed the centre line.
"It's clear that if the car had not been speeding and had not crossed the centre line then he would still be alive."
A local man, who did not want to be named, said he cycled on the quiet suburban street and was "forever dodging buses".
He said the narrow street - combined with heavy bus traffic - meant it was an accident waiting to happen.
"Only a couple of weeks ago over on the other side of the hill a lady rolled her car, clipped another car and flipped it over. So unfortunately it's quite common in this area."
Another man said buses had been more frequent since Auckland Transport changed its bus timetables, and motorists had to drive with more care.
"With the narrowness of the streets you're probably better off at least having yellow lines on one side, particularly where there's use for bus routes.
"Where you've got cars parked on both sides of the street it's hard enough for two vehicles to pass in opposite directions, then what it is for a bus and a car."
Neither man thought the bus route should be eliminated but said safer measures, like speed bumps, could be introduced.
"I think it's smarter that they don't go into suburban areas and they stick to the main routes, like St Johns Rd just up the hill," the first man said.
"The patrols basically just have to walk a couple of hundred yards and it would probably make it safer for everybody.
"Maybe they could put in some speed bumps in just to slow them down because there's no way that an accident that looks to be as chaotic as that should happen."
Go Bus chief operating officer Nigel Piper said the accident said his thoughts were with the family of the deceased person.
"Go Bus will be supporting our driver, who is obviously quite shaken by the accident, and we will be working with police as they complete their investigation."