Ask Phoebe: Blue makes way for new green street name signs

Blue street name signs are being phased out. Photo / Michael Craig

Auckland Transport charged with making sure signs are seen

Q: Who is responsible for manufacturing the signs with the street names? Who is responsible for the placing of street names?

I would like to see street names in larger letters, and even maybe luminous, also placed at every street corner and intersection, and more frequent intervals along the long roads and more clearly placed when a road is continuous but the name changes somewhere near the middle. It is so trying when you can't find names.

Colleen Sweeney, Auckland.

All street name signs are manufactured with the highest rating reflective background available with white lettering on a green background. Currently Auckland Central street name signs have blue backgrounds which are being phased out.

In some areas of the city, mainly on arterial roads that act as "Life Line Routes" for emergency services, we utilise illuminated street signage to aid visibility.

The size of the individual letters and the font used are 25 per cent or 50 per cent larger than prescribed in the national standard/regulations covering road signs.

There is an ongoing programme to upgrade and replace street name signs across the city so as to maintain them at an acceptable standard and condition.

Street name signage frequently suffers damage from both motor vehicle accidents and vandalism and is replaced as part of our annual upgrade and replacement programme.

The council conducts frequent patrols to identify faults including signs needing repair and, of course, they appreciate members of the public informing them when they see a road sign requiring attention or replacing.

Some of the legacy councils did not provide signs at every street intersection. However, since the establishment of Auckland Transport, there is a programme to rectify this.

Because of the cost of this improvement, it will be progressively phased-in and Auckland Transport will be moving towards a consistent standard of white lettering on a green background using high intensity retro-reflective materials.

Q: To great fanfare, the Murray's Bay wharf was refurbished last year, including being fitted with a new set of steps down into the water. Now said steps have been removed and replaced by orange safety netting. Is there any news on what's happened or when we can expect yet another new set of steps?

Peter Blakey, Auckland.

Auckland Council has commissioned an engineer's report to investigate the best way forward to reinstall the steps and whatever other measures are needed there. The council has no plans to remove the wharf.

• In a column last week, I listed situations where a driver may not use a mobile phone. Duncan has provided the following clause from Road Rule 7.3A 7, which I omitted.

"A driver may, while driving a vehicle, use a mobile phone in a way described in subclause (1)(a) or (f), if both the following apply: (a) the phone is secured in a mounting fixed to the vehicle; and (b) if the driver manipulates or looks at the phone, he or she does so infrequently and briefly." I hope that clarifies things.