Get moving: Buses priority for city council but it will look at light phasing

Q: Because part of Wellesley St is buses-only, traffic from Mayoral Drive and upper Wellesley St is forced down Kitchener to Victoria St, which is often reduced to one lane by the buses stopped there. The lights at Victoria and Queen are not co-ordinated, so it can take 25 minutes to get from Kitchener St across Queen St. Why can't the bus stops be moved to Wellesley St to free up another lane in Victoria St? John Doherty, Auckland.

A: The bus priority measures in the city are deliberate, in an effort to get more people to use public transport and reduce congestion in the CBD. The bus stops are in Victoria St to encourage people to use public transport. The council feels that fewer people would use the buses if the bus stops were moved. But it is going to have a look at the light phasing at the Victoria St-Queen St corner to see if it can be improved.

Q: The new Newmarket Viaduct will end up with three northbound lanes and four southbound. To provide sufficient capacity in the future and avoid another costly rebuild, shouldn't we be building four or five lanes each way now? Peter Ellison, Sunnynook.

A: In an ideal world, we should. But the Central Motorway Junction and Grafton Gully cannot be expanded any more because there is simply not room. If there were four lanes coming north over the Newmarket Viaduct it would create a bottleneck at Spaghetti Junction as the width reduced. And the same logic applies southbound.

Q: On entering the motorway at Gillies Ave how was I supposed to know that an 80 km/h restriction was in place? Why is there not a sign on the onramp? There is on others further on. Wayne Newman, Auckland.

A: There is a sign there, and always has been. Transit flew into a panic when I asked this question, and rushed out to check. During reconstruction this year, the sign was moved to the left hand side, but it's back on the right side now. So, no, Transit won't be paying your speeding fine.

Q: Why can't the left hand side of Stokes Rd in Mt Eden be a clearway in the morning as it is in the afternoon? S. Moore, Mt Eden.

A: No good reason, so there will be one. It should be in place by the end of November.