Ask Phoebe: Markings to stop rat runs

Sinusoidal speed humps provide a smoother transition for vehicles and result in less road noise. Photo / Thinkstock

Can you explain the reason for the red markings which have recently appeared at T-intersections in the Balmoral/Sandringham area? The three bands are each about 1m wide, extend the full width of the road from kerb to kerb and appear on the side road in each case.
Rowena Wheaton, Lynfield

The area bordered by Dominion Rd, Sandringham Rd, King Edward St in Balmoral and Lambeth Rd in Sandringham is now a residential quiet zone.

Concern about drivers speeding and "rat running" to avoid congestion on main roads has prompted the Albert-Eden Local Board to take traffic-calming measures.

The treatments include:

Threshold treatments - thick red lines (banding) painted on the road and signage at the entry points to the residential quiet zone. This is to indicate a change in road environment;

Speed humps - sinusoidal speed humps which provide a smoother transition for vehicles and result in less road noise. These have been spaced to encourage consistent driver behaviour resulting in less braking and acceleration noise. The signage, in blue and white, reads "Slow Zone" and has a depiction of two small children. The red bands are clear, and a warning that there are speed humps (and children) ahead.

At the end (or beginning) of St Mary's Rd at the intersection of Ponsonby Rd, Jervois Rd and College Hill, there are traffic lights with red arrows to stop traffic turning left (on to College Hill) or right (on to Jervois Rd) when there are pedestrians crossing. At this point there is a green light for cars to go straight through on to Ponsonby Rd.

Can you please advise on the correct protocol for cars wishing to turn either left or right when the vehicles behind them wish to go straight ahead when they get their green light?

If I am at the front of the queue when the lights turn green, and I am wanting to turn right but the arrow is red due to the pedestrian crossing, should I move my car forward into the intersection and over to the right heading on to Jervois Rd, knowing that the arrow will turn green and eventually let me through, and by doing this allow the cars behind me to drive on to Ponsonby Rd? Or do I just wait at the lights and block cars behind me from being able to go straight through?

Either way I do it I have had bad reactions, either from cars behind me tooting and abusing me for holding them up, or by my wife in the car when I do move forward slightly into the intersection, saying that I am unsafe. It seems you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. Michael Borich, Auckland.

Listen to your wife.