Ask Phoebe: Potters Park sculpture removed for repairs

Sculptor John Radford. Photo / Steven McNicholl

Can you inquire to see what's happened to the little brass gable house that was situated on the edge of the Dominion Rd boundary of Potters Park?

I believe it celebrated the typical Auckland villa construction of the 1900s.

It had been there for a few years (at least since 2007) and was sporting a bent chimney.

Last time I passed, all that was left was the brass plate it was sitting on. Has it been removed for repairs or stolen for scrap? Richard Frechtling, Auckland.

The former. The sculpture was damaged, and council staff are not sure how. However, it resulted in the work needing to be removed. The artist John Radford is now actively repairing it, and a week ago he estimated that the repairs would be complete within six weeks.

I've always been intrigued by the huge numbers painted on the ground at intervals inside the Toll Road tunnels. Why are they there and why are they so large? They must measure over a metre high, which seems ludicrous being inside a tunnel.

In the immortal words of Pauline Hanson, "please explain". Heather Williams, Hobsonville Pt.

In deathless prose, Jan McCarthy of the NZ Transport Agency explains that the numbers are an important part of the safety measures within the tunnels. If there is an incident, the very easy-to-read numbers will help emergency services and those who monitor the tunnel cameras from the Auckland Transport Operations Centre, in Takapuna, to immediately identify the exact location in the tunnels. In the case of a fire, for example, the automatic deluge system in the tunnels can be activated in the right place for maximum effect.

The pedestrian crossing lights at the intersection of Mokoia Rd and Chelsea View Drive are programmed as a barn dance. This means the flow of traffic along Mokoia Rd, the main road, is interrupted whenever someone uses the pedestrian lights to cross over the top of Chelsea View Drive, even though they do not wish to cross Mokoia Rd. This is often the case. Would it be possible for the lights to be reprogrammed so that it is only if the pedestrian wishes to cross Mokoia Rd that the traffic on that road is affected? I think this would mean filter lights for traffic turning left or right from Mokoia Rd into Chelsea View Drive, but that is common practice at many other intersections throughout the city and would be far better than stopping the flow of traffic along the main road for someone who does not want to cross that road at all, which is very frustrating and pointless for the drivers. Don McMorland, Birkenhead

Auckland Transport undertook a review of traffic operations along Mokoia Rd in 2013. This did not highlight any significant issues with the operation of the exclusive pedestrian phase. The intersection has been operating an exclusive pedestrian phase since early 2000. However, AT staff will review the operation of the intersection and reassess the need to maintain an exclusive pedestrian crossing.