Ask Phoebe: Low-powered scooters banned from motorways

The motorway is for vehicles, only with an engine output of over 2kW. Photo / Sarah Ivey

My son has a 49cc scooter and has applied for a job in Takapuna. We live in New Lynn. Presumably the only way he can use his scooter is to travel there via the Riverhead Rd, as the harbour bridge and Greenhithe routes are both motorways? Chris Bennett, New Lynn.

That's correct, Chris. You may not ride scooters or mopeds with an engine output of 2kW or less on a motorway.

I am confused about who has right of way at entrances to shopping malls and supermarkets. I assume that where there is a noticeable kerb and a change from pavement to tarseal, pedestrians should give way to cars. But who has right of way, such as the many driveways/entrances on Lunn Ave, Mt Wellington, where the pavements continue on? I would have thought pedestrians, but there are many drivers out there who believe otherwise. Jonathan Roberts, Mangere Bridge.

The Road Code exhorts drivers to give way to people using the footpath when leaving or entering a driveway that crosses a footpath.

On the other hand, pedestrians are warned to be careful when crossing driveways, particularly when visibility is restricted by buildings or fences. If drivers are coming out of a driveway, their vision will be restricted and they may not see pedestrians approaching.

So let's all be careful out there.

Where would I find information about the tannery (or its owners) that stood on the site of Auckland Zoo at the bottom of Meola Rd? Alan Elliott, Papakura.

Alan, I think you might be confusing Meola Rd with Motions Rd, as the zoo does not intercept Meola Rd.

But there was a tannery in the area, at the top of the steep dip leading down from Old Mill Rd to Motions Rd. Research I have done suggests it was owned and operated by the Gittos family in the late 1800s. The tannery was later bought by Frank Jagger, and in the 1930s it was sold to the Crown for a housing estate, based around Savage St.

This information came from the Auckland Museum website. Other sources for more information, should you need it, would be Auckland Library or the University of Auckland.

Is there no statute or bylaw requiring cat owners to control their pets and clean up after them? There are a number of cats running loose in my neighbourhood and one in particular has taken a fancy to my garden, where it deposits its stool and urine with depressing regularity. A favourite spot for urination is on the deck close to the lounge door and the stench is sometimes quite appalling. On the odd occasion that I have left the garage window open, the animal has done its business there. I have no idea who the cat belongs to or I would approach them. Is there some authority to whom I can complain? Jim Watt, Auckland.

The only bylaw I could find relates to the number of cats being kept on private land (the limit being five) and the number of cats creating a public health nuisance. You could ring Auckland Council animal services (09 839-0400) to see if staff there can suggest a solution to your rather nasty problem.