Kerikeri's one-way system to improve traffic flows will be trialled next month. Under the proposed system, traffic coming into Kerikeri via the roundabout on State Highway 10 will be directed to Kerikeri Rd on a one-way system via Homestead Rd and Fairway Dr. Traffic travelling along Kerikeri Rd from the Stone Storeend of the town will be able to proceed through the centre of town or turn left into Cobham Rd and traffic coming from Cobham Dr will have a left turn only into Kerikeri Road. The trial one-way system is designed to improve traffic flow in and around the centre of Kerikeri, improving traffic and pedestrian safety. Some physical changes would be made to the road layout as part of the short-term solution and it is likely that some details, such as pedestrian crossings and service lanes, would need to be refined. People have until Friday, July 21, to comment on the proposal which is being displayed, with comment forms, at the Procter Library and Far North District Council Service Centre in Kerikeri. Roading and drainage manager Greg Ingham said new parking in front of the Kerikeri police station, combined with better sign-posted public and private car parks within the town centre, will help offset the unavoidable loss of 10 parking spaces needed to accommodate the one-way system layout. "The council will monitor the scheme for 12 months and make refinements as necessary," he said. "We expect that community feedback received during the trial will assist us with this process." About $24 million is to be invested for roading improvements in the Kerikeri area during the next 10 years in addition to money already allocated for projects such as the heritage bypass. Mr Ingham said critical road junctions and intersections such as the Cobham and Hone Heke Rds junction would be upgraded and the Kerikeri Road/Hobson Ave roundabout was receiving fresh scrutiny, also as short-term measures to relieve traffic congestion. "Work is continuing on longer term solutions to the congestion issues and will be presented to council later this year," he said.
