Auckland Transport knew about a dangerous section of footpath weeks before a cyclist crashed into it.
The council-controlled organisation was notified of subsidence issues on a shared path in Great North Rd in Waterview in early February, but it was not fixed until Thursday.
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That was too late for cyclist Neville Carpenter, who NZME reports came off his bike when a wheel got stuck in the crack on Sunday.
He's now undergone surgery due to the significant injuries he suffered to his face.
It's been revealed Auckland Transport was notified multiple times about the path since the start of the year.
An Auckland Transport spokesperson told Newshub the first report came on February 11 from the Albert Eden Local Board.
Another report was made on Twitter on February 24 by Auckland man Les Gates. An Auckland Transport response to Gates' tweet says the complaint was passed on to the relevant teams.
Gates told Newshub he's upset to hear somebody was injured at the same spot he complained about.
"I feel bad that I didn't follow up with Auckland Transport - maybe it would have been fixed in time.
"But I imagine that there are people within AT who saw these reports too, who will be feeling worse knowing they could have acted on it. I only hope that in the future they act faster to keep cyclists and pedestrians safe."
Auckland Transport said the subsidence should never have happened and a temporary fix was put in place on Thursday.
"This path was built as part of the Waterview Tunnel project. This work was done by the Well Connected Alliance contracted by NZTA.
"Part of the footpath has moved which has caused gaps, this isn't acceptable and should never have happened. We are talking to NZTA about the standard of the work."
But advocacy group Bike Auckland said it's constantly contacted by people needing help keeping Auckland's cycle network maintained.
"Dangers like the cracked path that caused Neville Carpenter's crash are the collateral of tight budgets for maintenance and a city in constant 'build and patch' mode," Bike Auckland chair Barb Cuthbert told Newshub.
"Mr Carpenter's ghastly and avoidable injuries highlight the risks and the extent of harm that can be caused by a seemingly minor flaw in a pavement surface. No one can afford to be complacent about this.
"AT needs to step up the pace on responding to public requests for repairs."
Newshub contacted the NZTA for comment, but a spokesperson said the issue was the responsibility of Auckland Transport, as they were the recipient of the complaint.
Newshub.
