Ask Phoebe: It's okay to change lanes on bridge

Auckland Harbour Bridge. Photo / Getty Images

Are the authorities ever going to take action to combat the daily plague of traffic rule violations on and around the Harbour Bridge? The continuous white lines are obviously meaningless to the majority of motorists who gaily change lanes at the first opportunity. Another sore point is drivers ignoring the "Buses and Shelly Beach only" signs when driving south by staying in the left hand lane until the last minute and then causing a further holdup when they try to force their way into lane two. There are apparently CCTV cameras on the bridge. Why are they not used to track the offenders? Another measure that could be taken to ease congestion on the motorway would be to impose and enforce a "no lane changing zone" 50 to 100m each side of on and off ramps.
Jim Watson, Auckland.

The Transport Agency says the solid white lines were placed on the St Marys Bay southbound curve to help people safely identify lanes, but they do not prohibit drivers from changing lanes. When changes were made to the Victoria Park Viaduct, extra signs were put up on the North Shore approaches to the Auckland Harbour Bridge so that drivers could choose their correct lane early and reduce the need to weave through St Marys Bay. The Transport Agency says the bus lane signs were taken down recently after the motorway upgrade through St Marys Bay. The existing CCTV cameras are not enforcement tools, but are there to help monitor traffic to ensure it flows smoothly. "No lane changing" zones are not being considered. The NZTA believes they could create confusion and be a risk to safety.

I recently tried to travel from the airport to Helensville along the extended, but not completed, motorway. I came to the end and there is no indication of where to go to get on to the Northwestern Motorway. Along the motorway there are signs to the west and the north but once I got to the end of the extension there was no signage. For tourists and non westies heading to Muriwai or Helensville from the south or airport, this is a frustration.
Mark Douglas, Whangarei.

This is a perennial question, and the solutions are as many and varied as the inquirers. It seems everyone has a favourite route.

To my mind, the best solution is to turn left at the end of SH20 (the Southwestern Motorway) on to Maioro St, right into New Windsor Rd, left into Tiverton Rd, right into Blockhouse Bay Rd, then right at the end of this at Great North Rd. This will allow you to access the Northwestern Motorway at Waterview.

If you prefer to avoid city streets and stick to motorways, you might try going south from the airport on SH20 until it meets the Southern Motorway at Manukau, then north until you get to the Northwestern Motorway (SH16) interchange at Newton.

When the Western Ring Route around Auckland is completed, SH20 will join up with SH16, the Northwestern Motorway, at the Great North Rd interchange at Waterview.