Ask Phoebe: Right-turn ban ideal way to fix congestion at school

A suggestion to allow trucks to use the Northern Busway is unrealistic. Photo / Brett Phibbs

I regularly use Wairau Rd and Taharoto Rd in Takapuna, and in recent times major road works have been carried out allied to the Smales Farm bus station.

On Taharoto Rd southbound a bus lane has been marked to allow buses to pass Westlake Girls' High School congestion and enter the Shakespeare Rd extension to the bus station. This lane would be excellent, but buses are hindered by the two entrances to the school that have been retained, one of them light-controlled.

For a short distance before the lights the bus lane changes to a right-turn lane, holding up buses unnecessarily. To add insult to injury, many drivers think they turn into buses at Forrest Hill Rd and use the bus lane to get to this short-turn lane rather than wait in the general traffic lane until the turn lane starts.

Why can't right turns be banned in Taharoto Rd, and vehicles get to the school from the rear, at the Shakespeare Rd extension? There are indications by the bus station that provision has been made for this to happen. Richard Horner, Glenfield.

North Shore City Council says access for the school was a major consideration when the bus station was designed.

There are plans for redeveloping entry to the school from the Shakespeare Rd extension and negotiations with the school are under way.

A design will then be finalised. Motorists are entitled to use a special vehicle lane, be it transit or bus, for up to 60m when turning.

Please tell me if there are any plans to ease the situation for motorists trying to get out of Aspiring Ave on to Hollyford Drive. We are between Te Irirangi on the right and Redoubt on the left.

At peak times especially, the waiting time is horrendous. Relying on the few who show courtesy hardly makes a difference. Jane Billington, Manukau City.

Manukau City Council is working on a project to improve the route between Ormiston Rd in Flat Bush and Manukau city centre.

Preliminary work indicates that the intersection of Aspiring and Hollyford is a likely candidate for traffic lights.

However, you'll have to wait until a wider study of traffic flows and proposed bus priority measures is finished before it becomes clear what should be done at this intersection, and when.

We travel to the North Shore regularly from Orewa during off-peak hours and often wonder if trucks and truck-and-trailer units were allowed to use the Northern Busway would this relieve congestion on the motorway? Doug Parker, Orewa.

This has been suggested, Mr Parker, but has never been a realistic option. The objective of the busway is to provide a fast reliable public transport link between the North Shore and Auckland.

Given that the key words are "public transport", allowing trucks on the busway would reduce its efficiency, and possibly create a safety issue for pedestrians at the bus stations.

And a supplementary question on the vexatious Sandringham Rd/Mt Albert Rd intersection:

Is there a chance of a right-turn arrow from Mt Albert Rd into Sandringham Rd, heading towards the SH20 Mt Roskill extension, given the expected increase in traffic volumes? Heather Laxon, Sandringham.

Mitch Tse, senior traffic engineer for Auckland City Council, says there are plans to improve this intersection this calendar year.

There is no definite time frame yet, but the council is hoping to be able to fit the work in at the beginning of the next financial year, which begins in July.