Ask Phoebe: Helmet-less cyclists riding roughshod over law

Recently I have seen a number of cyclists on the road not wearing helmets. Has the law changed? Are helmets no longer mandatory? Barry Davies, Auckland.

Helmets are indeed compulsory for all cyclists on our roads, and have been since the early 1990s.

The Land Transport (Road User) Rule 2004 states in section 11.8 that a person must not ride, or be carried on, a bicycle on a road unless the person is wearing a safety helmet of an approved standard that is securely fastened.

The rule then goes on to itemise in great detail the approved standards for helmets and also points out that anyone in a trailer towed by the bicycle must also wear a helmet.

However, under clause (7) of section 11.8, a written exemption may be granted by the Director of Transport from the requirement to wear a safety helmet on the grounds of religious belief, physical disability or other reasonable grounds. I'd be interested to know what sort of things these might be.

Debate continues on the efficacy of helmets in the case of an accident, and whether or not the cost of a helmet deters people from taking up cycling. The fine for not wearing a helmet is around $55.

Could you please tell me when lanes one and two on the harbour bridge close in the evening when entering from Curran St?

The sign in Jervois Rd is hard to see, if it's there at all, and it's infuriating to get to the bottom of Curran St only to find the onramp closed. You then have to go back to Ponsonby and down College Hill to Beaumont St onramp.

Would it not be possible to have a clearly visible sign at the top of Curran St to indicate when the onramp is closed? And when will the work be finished?

Sarah Lawrence, Pt Chevalier, Archie Adams, Pt Chevalier, and Murray Price, Westmere.

The Curran St onramp is closed from Saturday to Thursday nights from about 7pm to 5.30am so that work can be done to strengthen the box girders under the bridge clip-ons. The recommended detour is via Fanshawe St.

The work is scheduled to be finished in August, which is good news. The not-so-good news is that work will then start on the southbound clip-on, but this shouldn't cause quite so much disruption.

Historically, signage was put up every night on the corner of Jervois Rd and Curran St, facing in both directions. This practice was stopped after a number of the signs were stolen, and also after neighbours complained of excessive noise while the signs were being put up and taken down.

The new arrangement has electronic flip signs next to the Ponsonby Bowling Club for traffic travelling from Jervois Rd, and on a pole in Redmond St for traffic coming from Ponsonby Rd.

So, if you're heading for the bridge from the west, it might pay not to turn off earlier and use Sarsfield St as a number of people do, but to keep going along Jervois so that you can spot the sign.