Congestion at Kerikeri's Intercity bus stop forces traffic on to the wrong side of Cobham Rd and puts passengers and road users in danger, critics say. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Congestion at Kerikeri's Intercity bus stop forces traffic on to the wrong side of Cobham Rd and puts passengers and road users in danger, critics say. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Traffic chaos at Kerikeri's bus stop, which critics say puts passengers and motorists in danger will be solved — by moving the bus stop out of town to Bay of Islands Airport.
The decision follows mounting concerns about congestion on Cobham Rd, where increasing numbers of coaches jostle for asingle bus stop.
As a result, buses regularly double-park, forcing traffic onto the wrong side of the road. It also means some passengers have to disembark on the road instead of the footpath, and bus drivers can't use their ramps for disabled passengers because shop awnings stop them parking close to the kerb.
Earlier this year an 84-year-old man took a tumble while getting off a bus because the ramp couldn't be deployed.
Transport companies previously used a 27m-long bus stop and loading zone outside Subway but had to move further down Cobham Rd after a fire at a nearby laundromat in 2016. The current bus stop, outside Spa & Pool and St John Op Shop, is 18.5m long.
An engineer's report commissioned by the Far North District Council came up with three options: leaving the bus stop as it is, moving it back to its original location, or creating two new bus spaces across the road outside Kerikeri library.
Members of the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board earlier voted to keep the current location but with an updated bylaw so drivers who park on the bus stop can be ticketed.
At last Thursday's council meeting in Kaitaia, however, councillors opted for another solution: moving the bus stop out of town entirely.
Cr Ann Court said finding a solution that ticked all the boxes was "very problematic". The option least likely to cause major upset was to locate the bus stop outside the library, but that was also strongly opposed in public submissions.
The latest proposal was to shift the bus stop to the airport, where passengers could make use of the toilets and shelter in the new terminal.
She was aware of concerns from people worried about being stranded 5km out of town but said the airport's shuttle operator would put on extra trips.
Court said the shift had some urgency — the current situation was "an accident waiting to happen" — but it was likely bus facilities could be built at the airport without ratepayer money by tapping into NZ Transport Agency funding for public transport.
Cr Dave Hookway said consolidating the town's transport in one place was "a bloody brilliant idea". It would also relieve congestion on Cobham Rd and free up more parking.
He suggested setting up temporary facilities at the airport as soon as possible rather than waiting for a bus terminal to be built.
Councillors voted to approve in principle the urgent relocation of bus services out of Kerikeri's CBD, and gave the chief executive authority to negotiate with airport operator Far North Holdings.
The Cobham Rd bus stop is used by Intercity passengers travelling to and from Kaitaia, Paihia and Auckland, as well as by school and charter buses, hospital shuttles, and backpacker services such as Kiwi Experience.
Op shop says bus chaos hurting income
St John op shop staff say Cobham Rd traffic chaos has slashed their income and a new bus stop can't come soon enough.
Some bus drivers, however, say moving the bus stop to the airport is a raw deal for passengers who will have to find their own way 5km into town, sometimes late at night.
St John op shop manager Alison Murdoch and St John Area Committee member David Stone say bus stop chaos has hurt the charity's income. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Op shop manager Alison Murdoch said revenue had dropped since the bus stop was relocated in front of the store, mainly because people couldn't park nearby to drop off boxes of donated items.
Even if they could find a parking space they couldn't be bothered negotiating buses which had no choice but to double-park.
The drop in donations had forced her to appeal on social media for the first time for donations of bric-a-brac, linen and furniture.
"Usually we've got it coming out of our ears," Murdoch said.
Her other concerns included road safety and drivers getting angry because they couldn't get out of parking spaces. People regularly came into the shop to borrow chairs for elderly bus passengers who had nowhere to sit, she said.
However, St John Area Committee member David Stone said critics of the move to Bay of Islands Airport had some valid points.
''It means people who get dropped off at the airport will have to arrange their own transport, at their own cost, after an already long bus journey.''
Locating the bus stop outside the library would have been ideal because it meant visitors were dropped off outside the information centre and a short distance from toilets and shops.
Bus driver Merv Gray said the service didn't just cater to tourists but also to Kaitaia residents who had to travel to Kerikeri for eye, ear and dental appointments. Many were elderly or on low incomes, but would have to find an extra $25 for the taxi fare to town.
The last bus from Auckland arrived in Kerikeri at 10pm or later. If the airport terminal was locked, that would leave passengers without shelter while they waited, he said.
Alec Neale, of Kerikeri Taxis, operates an on-demand shuttle to and from the airport and said he would do his best to help if the bus stop moved out of town. The shuttle fare for one or two people plus luggage was $20.
