Editorial: Are traffic jams Whangarei's new normal?

This is a regular sight for Kamo and Whau Valley commuters, between 8am and 9am on week day mornings.

People live in Northland to be able to spend 15 per cent of their day at the beach - not stuck in traffic.

That's why we get annoyed when there are traffic jams, or gridlock.

Especially in a town like Whangarei that has endured road works for what seems years now, as we try to improve traffic flow and road safety.

People are forgiving when it is an accident or a mishap.

But when, as on Friday night, Whangarei was gridlocked because of a popular event, valid questions get asked.

Whangarei has always had poor flow in and out of the town, with bottlenecks that slow progress.

One of the worst is the Okara Dr bridge across the Raumanga Stream, ironically sandwiched between two free flowing roundabouts.

For Friday night, the council ticked its traffic management, planning and publicity boxes.

Those boxes need a darn good reviewing.

The event was the International Rally of Whangarei's special stage, and it has massive potential to attract even more people.

Jeez, if there was music, beer, food and a seat in a grandstand you night even get non-petrol heads along. But not until someone works out how to get a large volume of people in and out of the venue easily.

The great thing about Friday night's discussion was the recognition that it's a great event, and as a town we need to tick the "must do better" box.

But let's not ignore that what happened on Friday wasn't acceptable.

The event was international class. The traffic situation was embarrassingly provincial.

And then Monday morning's traffic jams were the icing on the cake. A traffic light phasing fault meant that traffic just didn't flow on the first day back to school, after the holidays

Hopefully jams like Monday's stop when Western Hills Dr finally flows like it is supposed to.

There is another scenario though - perhaps, as someone suggested on our Facebook page on Friday, we just need to "suck it up people" and this is the new normal.