Ask Phoebe: Fog lights a no-no in clear conditions, day or night

Fog can be hard to see in, depending on how thick it is. Photo / APN

In England it is illegal to have fog lights on unless visibility is poor. What is the rule here? Many cars have these lights on all the time. John Brewin, Auckland.

The police website says fog lamps should be used only when visibility is severely reduced, for example by snow or fog. It is against the law to use fog lamps in clear conditions (day or night) as they can dazzle other road users.

There are legal limits on how many extra lights can be fitted on a vehicle and where, as well as restrictions on cosmetic lighting. The law says your lights must not dazzle, confuse or distract other road users, and sets out how and when you can use some types of vehicle lights.

If you don't get your lights right, not only could your vehicle fail its warrant of fitness, but you could be in for a hefty fine. You can get more information from the Transport Agency website at nzta.govt.nz

A few weeks ago I drove from Auckland down to Wellington. It was a while since I had done this. I drove down SH1 to Taupiri, and then along Highway 1B to Cambridge. I was impressed by the two new roundabouts at Taupiri. Can you tell me the latest state of the play with regard to the four laning of SH1 all the way to Cambridge, and the bypassing of Huntly? Is it intended that the highway will pass to the east of Taupiri Mountain? John Saunders, Northcote.

The Waikato Expressway will provide 102km of continuous divided four-lane highway and cut SH1 by 6km. It will provide a further 12km of new or upgraded links and a new bridge over the Waikato River north of Hamilton.

It will join up with the existing SH1 south of Cambridge and will cut travel times between Auckland and Tirau by 35 minutes. Its estimated completion date is 2019. Herewith an overall view (bearing in mind this was last July, the most recent summary I could find):

* Pokeno and Mercer sections totalling 22.6km are completed.

* Longswamp section and Rangiriri section totalling 10.3km have been investigated and designed, and enabling works on Rangiriri (archaeology and Transpower relocation) is in progress.

* 7km Ohinewai section completed.

* 15.2km Huntly section in secondary investigation and specimen design.

* 12.3km Ngaruawahia section now in the construction phase with the contract awarded in March. Main construction work started in last spring.

* Te Rapa section of 7.3km is under construction and is due for completion in December.

* Hamilton section of 21.8km is now being investigated and designed.

* 2.4km Tamahere interchange done.

* Tamahere section of 4.4km is now under investigation with design to follow.

* Cambridge section of 10.4km is being designed.

It appears, from what I have been able to glean, that the new road will run east of Taupiri Mountain, to reduce impact on sacred sites.