Ask Phoebe: Walkers, cyclists are on the list

Traffic on a notoriously dangerous stretch of Lagoon Drive. Photo / Herald on Sunday

I live in Pakuranga and work in Mt Wellington, a 3km trip. I wouldn't mind walking or cycling to work but would then have to take the notoriously dangerous route across the Panmure Bridge and across Lagoon Drive. Are there plans to add a walkway or cycleway on the Waipuna Rd bridge to allow easier access to Mt Wellington/Sylvia Park area for pedestrians?
Rida Vivier, Pakuranga.

The reborn Auckland Manukau Eastern Transport Initiative project has a focus on improving options for walking and cycling in this area. A big part of the project is work to identify the best way to create a separate walkway and cycleway next to the Panmure Bridge. Auckland Transport is aiming to decide on the best option by the middle of this year.

Recently we went to a Warriors game at North Harbour Stadium. Nearby are a number of large paddocks where we thought we would be able to park. But there were some big (unofficial-looking) signs saying "no parking "and people in high-vis jackets were telling us to move along. Funnily enough, they were charging $10 to park in a similar paddock just a bit further on. These parking people were not wearing the same outfits as the security team in the stadium. Is this legitimate?
Kylie Watson, Auckland.

I would think this was a decision made by the land-owners on whether or not they wanted people parking on their land. It seems unlikely that there would be a bylaw stopping you from charging people to park on your own land. Any issues arising from this would be covered by general property law. If you don't own the land, then you don't have the right to charge people to park on it.

Do you know if there are any plans to improve the bottleneck at New North Rd and Bond St for buses? This is an important bus route, but almost every morning, buses get stuck in the two lanes of traffic heading towards Newton. Because of the number of people trying to get into the city by bus along this route, one would think the council would try to make it easier for buses to get through. It is not uncommon to wait for up to 20 minutes atthe Kingsland bus stop, even thoughthe buses are visible. It would be nice to see this part of the road dedicated as a bus lane or some other improvement made to it. In light of the upcoming Rugby World Cup, does the council have any ideas?
Sam Learmonth, Auckland.

This is a difficult area and intersection to create a bus lane through because it could mean taking away one lane for general traffic, which would cause other problems. It would be difficult to widen the road through the Kingsland village. And because it is a major intersection, having a bus lane there would also require roadworks to create a free left turn for other vehicles. However, Auckland Transport says it will will further investigate the issues to see whether improvements are possible.