Ask Phoebe: Reason for lack of bridge colour is clear

There are many changes to the motorway. Photo / NZPA

I see on the Northern Motorway heading north from Lonely Track Rd to Orewa that the legs of overbridges at the various interchanges have been painted a rather nice shade of green, a move I was told was instigated to somehow deter graffiti artists from tagging them. Anyhow, the exit most seen and most often used, Silverdale, has not had its bridge legs painted the lovely shade of green, yet up ahead the Wainui Rd bridge has (along with Orewa interchange) and behind the Wilks Rd overbridge. Is there any reason the Silverdale interchange was left out?

- Rob Crawford, Orewa.

There is a simple reason for this - the bridge at the Silverdale inter-change already has a clear coating of anti-graffiti paint. The NZ Transport Agency and its Auckland Motorway Alliance adopted the olive green for other bridges because it was "more pleasing to the eye". They are very happy to have such positive feedback on their choice of colour.

Will the widened motorway through St Marys Bay provide dedicated bus lanes? As a frequent user of the impressive Northern Busway service I certainly hope this will be the case.

- Bevan Woodward, North Shore.

As a result of the Victoria Park Tunnel project, southbound capacity on the motorway has greatly increased. The flyover carries four lanes of southbound traffic, including a dedicated bus lane from the Shelly Beach Rd off-ramp on the harbour bridge to Fanshawe St where it connects with the existing bus lane. However, northbound, there is not enough width below the cliffs at St Marys Bay for a dedicated bus lane leaving the central city. The good news is that in March the Transport Agency will extend the moveable lane barrier operating on the harbour bridge to Fanshawe St to provide extra lanes for all vehicles, including buses, during the morning and afternoon peaks.

I was wondering whether there are any plans to fix the intersection in Highbrook where each morning in rush-hour all the people from several neighbouring areas trying to get on to the Northern and Southern Motorways drive up Trugood Drive, and sit for ages waiting to turn right on to Cryers Rd. It's a simple give-way system and it just does not cope with the volume of traffic that goes through there, leading people to make dangerous manoeuvres such as hasty u-turns. A simple holding bay in the middle would at least ease the pressure somewhat.

- Adrienne Roke, Auckland.

Changes to the intersection of Trugood Drive and Cryers Rd are being considered as part of the Auckland Manukau Eastern Transport Initiative, which are transport projects for the eastern suburbs.

A full assessment of this intersection will be done later this year, but any permanent improvements are not likely for at least another five years.

In the short-term, Auckland Transport will have a look at the intersection to identify ways to discourage drivers from doing anything dangerous or illegal. This review will be done in the middle of next month when traffic patterns are back to normal after the school holidays.