Ask Phoebe: Boat trailers a hazard on Tamaki Drive

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Could you discover what possible reason the council has for deciding to ban boat trailers being parked on Tamaki Drive at Okahu Bay where many boaties launch their trailer boats? It cannot be for safety reasons as cars without trailers are permitted to park there and people using the beach are able to park much closer than the area in question. All the rule change has achieved is to cause a great deal of inconvenience. Chris Lord, Auckland.

Tamaki Drive has any number of issues, as we know, but a spokeswoman for Auckland Transport says parked boat trailers are a hazard to cyclists and motorists here. Vehicles with trailers on the west-bound side of the road often park with one wheel on the grass reserve and the other in the T2 lane. Boat trailers on the east-bound lane often extend out past the parking bay lines into the live traffic lanes creating a significant hazard. There are "pay and display" parks available for boaties with trailers at The Landing in Okahu Bay, where the cost is $2 an hour to a maximum of $20 for 24 hours.

With all the hoo-ha about the new signs on the motorway that we have had recently, why oh why is there no indication before you have to choose your lane - as they kept on and on about - as to which lane to choose if you wish to go to the airport? There must be hundreds of tourists who have been up north and who then need to go to the airport to fly home - how are these poor people supposed to know if they should choose Fanshawe or Helensville or Port or Cook St or Hamilton or who knows what else? Surely just a little aeroplane icon on the relevant lane sign can't be hard to do? Sue Grbic, Auckland.

The NZ Transport Agency says it has to balance the need to provide information with the risk of confusing drivers and having them take the wrong exit, and it advises those unfamiliar with the motorway network to plan their route so that their journey is a safe one.

I'm not sure if that's an adequate answer, but the notion of planning your trip is a good one.

The response from NZTA continues: For southbound travellers on the Southern Motorway, the Gillies Avenue off-ramp at Newmarket - the usual exit for the airport - is signposted on the motorway from the CBD on five overhead signs and the 'airport' symbol appears on these signs. There are also 'airport' signed exits on the Southern Motorway further south at Mt Wellington and Manukau. The airport designated route for those driving north on the Southern Motorway is signposted from the SH20/1 interchange at Manukau and along SH20 (Southwestern Motorway). The Southwestern also has numerous 'airport' symbols for those driving south.