Senior-Link spokeswoman Geraldine Tait said crossing the road in South Dunedin, where the organisation was based, was ''absolutely taking your life in your hands'' and at least one Senior-Link member had suffered serious injuries.
''A very frail, elderly lady on Cargill's Corner [was injured] and she had quite severe injuries. She did recover but she was never quite the same again.''
The Dunedin City Council is part way through safety work on South Dunedin intersections, which senior traffic engineer Ron Minnema said should reduce the accident rate by 40%.
Ms Tait said giving pedestrians and those in wheelchairs just a few seconds' head start at intersections was not good enough.
''Who was consulted over this? Someone in an office said `oh, we have got an embarrassing problem with killing or running over our pedestrians - perhaps we will make it a bit safer','' Ms Tait said.
However, council planning and environment committee chairwoman Kate Wilson said the council was ''bending over backwards'' to improve transport around the city.
''Do you do it for mobility scooters? Do you do it for skateboards? Do you do it for old people walking? There is no norm and it is always going to fail for some people,'' Cr Wilson said.
However, Ms Tait said university students were able to stop traffic on State Highway 1 at the push of a button, so she was not sure why the council was opposed to a ''Barnes Dance'' intersection on Cargill's Corner, an area known for its high accident rate.
''Unless a car completely drove through a red light or a person decides to jay walk then everyone is going to be safe ... wouldn't we want a 100% increase in safety?''She said the Pak `n Save and Warehouse parking area was poorly planned. People had to ''play dodgems'' between the two stores, she said.
The Countdown store on Andersons Bay Rd could have catered better for pedestrians by providing an alleyway to streets at the rear of the store.
Cr Wilson said the Pak `n Save and Warehouse developments were ''ad-hoc'' decisions that pre-dated the council's district plan.
