Ask Phoebe: Bridge barrier safety rethink

The new Auckland Harbour Bridge moveable barrier is narrower than the old one. Photo / Martin Sykes

I wrote some months ago about painting a white line along the bottom of the moveable barrier across the Harbour Bridge. In wet weather and at night, the bottom of the barrier is very difficult to define and as a result, cars move over to partially cover the next lane.

What is even more difficult is when you travel up the single lane when the barrier is in the 3:1 position. This can be very intimidating, especially in the wet or at night.

I am now of the opinion that not only should the bottom, say 15cm, be painted white, but also the concrete nib wall between the bridge and the clip-on. David Bentham, Torbay.

The Transport Agency says the old barrier, which was replaced in February, had yellow reflective markers on the lower section of the barrier, although they did need frequent cleaning because of the salt-laden atmosphere.

Past attempts to paint the barrier have been unsuccessful because of the number of vehicles travelling across the bridge daily, more than 165,000. The effect is similar to sand-blasting, so painting didn't work.

Having said that, agency engineers are having another look at ways to help improve safety and visibility.

As well, a more permanent solution to the nib wall problem is being considered. Yellow "safe hit" posts have recently been installed to mark out the no-go areas. And the problem of narrow lanes has been alleviated somewhat with the new barriers, which are slimmer than the old jobs.

When we are driving home south along Great South Rd between Papakura and Drury, we have to make a right turn into Parkhaven Drive. There is no right turn pocket, and at this point we are about 100m into the 70km/h zone.

When there is oncoming traffic, should we pull to the centre with the right turn indicator going, pull to the left with the left turn indicator on, or pull to the left but indicate that we are turning right?

We usually indicate that we are going to turn right and move to the centre of the road well in advance so that following traffic know what we are doing, but if we see oncoming traffic, we can't then move to the left, as the traffic behind us is looking to come through on the inside. Reg Briggs, Papakura.

The Road Code (where would I be without it?) says that if other vehicles are travelling fast or following too closely, or if the road is narrow, you may be best to wait on the left hand side of the road, rather than wait in the middle and thereby hold up traffic.

In this situation, you should signal that you are moving left, move to the left hand side of the road, wait until it is safe, then signal right and make your turn.

If a car in front of you has also stopped to turn right, you should wait behind them and then use the same position to turn from.

On Tuesday I asked for advice on whether it is legal to drive your car when it has failed its warrant, even though that had not expired.

As expected, guidance was swiftly forthcoming.

It seems that if your vehicle fails its check, it is then deemed unsafe, and there is an offence described as "knowingly operating an unsafe or defective vehicle". If you are caught driving the car regularly once rejected for your warrant, you could be prosecuted.

In addition, the testing authority loads the result against your vehicle, showing that it has failed its warrant check. In the event of a crash or accident, police and your insurance company will see that the vehicle is "not fit to be on the road".