Ask Phoebe: Slack in Link timetables to be tightened

City link bus. Photo / APN

I really like the new Link services, but the OuterLink timetabling needs some serious tightening. I live at Three Lamps in Freeman's Bay and work at the university. I can walk to work or take the OuterLink. One morning recently I set off on foot before 9.40am and the Outerlink bus (No 4016) was sitting at the Jervois Rd stop. It must have sat there for quite a while, because it didn't pass me until Wellesley St, near Drake St. Then I passed it again as it squatted doing nothing useful at the Wellesley/Queen St stop, and I beat it to the university (arriving 10.03am).

I've taken the new service four or five times, and each time it has sat, once for eight minutes (I got off of course) at Wellesley/Queen, waiting for the magic departure time on the quarter hour.

It's a bit feeble if a pedestrian can beat a bus, especially off-peak. It's very annoying for the people stuck inside the bus. It can't save much money and it loses customers like me. Tim Hazledine, Freemans Bay.

Auckland Transport is aware that the timetable does need to be tightened up at certain times of the day. The new services have been operating for five months and have generally been a great success but the timetable does need some "tweaking".

Auckland Transport and NZ Bus will be doing the work required on the timetable in the near future. It's not simple though, because they need to analyse the journey time data for all trips in the timetable, and as a result there may be changes to drivers' duties.

Now the Rugby World Cup is over the Kingsland train station shelters have been demolished and there is no longer any seating at the station. Any idea why this is so, and when we can look forward to being able to sit down to wait for the (late) trains? Stuart Norris, Kingsland.

The powers that be, i.e. Auckland Transport, are looking at new types of seating and how it will be distributed along the platform. This work will be finished shortly and subject to manufacturing time they will have the seating installed in the next four to six weeks.

Could you settle something for me please? There is a slip road from Titirangi Rd that goes to Atkinson Rd and Pleasant Rd. Is it okay to use this to get to Pleasant Rd, or should I go down to the lights and turn left, and then into Pleasant Rd? My sister says the slip road is only for people who want to go into Atkinson Rd. If I am in the wrong, then hundreds of other people are too. Mavis Fruin, Titirangi.

The slip road may be used for access to both Atkinson and Pleasant Rds. My apologies if this causes a family argument.

* A reminder: The Northern Motorway northbound between Market Rd and Gillies Ave will be closed for 36 hours this weekend (Auckland Anniversary Weekend, January 29-30) so that the NZ Transport Agency can complete final work to switch the motorway lanes on to the new and improved northbound Newmarket Viaduct on Anniversary Day, Monday.

Work will then start on demolishing the old northbound viaduct.