Faulty traffic lights cause highway chaos

Whangarei motorists are stuck in another faulty lights traffic jam, just seven weeks after a problem at Whau Valley was resolved.

Long lines of queued vehicles stretched about 1km from the intersection of State Highway 1 and SH14 yesterday morning, because of a fault with the lights.

Whangarei police highway patrol officer Sergeant Chris Goodall said faults in the past few days had caused a number of traffic backlogs, and there had been a minor accident at the intersection yesterday morning.

Whangarei District Council infrastructure and services group manager Simon Weston said the problem appeared to be similar to one that occurred in Whau Valley in November, where an intermittent fault caused by damaged sensors under the ground sent incorrect information to the computer running the light phasing.

"One solution would be for the NZTA [NZ Transit Agency] to investigate and repair the physical cause of the fault, another would be to undertake the repair work in conjunction with the proposed intersection improvements, as is planned in the long-term," Mr Weston said.

Auckland/Northland state highways manager Tommy Parker said the agency was working with the council to identify a solution, although he gave no time frame.

"Given that the fault appears to lie underground, and intersection improvements are proposed for the long-term, we need to make sure we don't double up and cause further unnecessary disruption to motorists or expense for the taxpayer," he said.

Mr Weston agreed that it would be "wasteful to spend significant funding on a short-term repair if a major rebuild is scheduled shortly after".

"At this point we are working with the NZTA to bring forward the intersection improvement works, and to undertake the signal improvements at that time," he said.

"We expect to confirm the way forward early in the new year."

Although NZTA was responsible for state highways, the council looked after the computer programs that ran the traffic lights phasing in the city.

The agency and the council faced a similar crisis of responsibility in November, when faults at the Kamo bypass lights caused traffic jams and angry motorists.

Mr Parker said he understood the problem was "frustrating for motorists during the holiday period, and we thank locals and holidaymakers for their patience".

"We're conscious that there are many visitors to the region who will be unfamiliar with the intersection, and we urge motorists to exercise care."