KEY POINTS:
Do you live in Auckland? Do you have a question or problem you want solved? Phoebe Falconer answers your queries every Thursday. Email 'Ask Phoebe' to newsdesk@nzherald.co.nz
At the moment, travelling from, say, Greenhithe along Upper Harbour Highway, there are double sets of traffic lights controlling access
to the Northern Motorway leading towards the city. Once the ring road is in place, won't these lights cause a bottleneck if they are not replaced with an overpass or underpass linking the two major motorways? Sarah-Jane and Andrew Batten, Greenhithe.
And another related question, from John Averill: Once the Upper Harbour Motorway is completed, will the road between Albany Highway and the Northern Motorway be upgraded to motorway standard? More important, will there be a dedicated link between the two motorways bypassing the intersection controlled by traffic lights?
Transit is on the case here, although it appears a solution is some time away. They have had a look at a motorway-to-motorway link, which would run between the Albany interchange on State Highway 18 (Upper Harbour) and the Constellation interchange on State Highway 1 (Northern Motorway). More work needs to be done, though, and funding for this is included in the 10-year-plan for state highways. The investigations will assess the feasibility of upgrading the Constellation interchange and the current expressway from there to Albany Highway. Also under consideration in this area is access for Caribbean Drive and Paul Matthews Rd.
Puhinui Rd in Papatoetoe carries a huge amount of traffic but almost comes to a halt when it reaches the Bridge St dogleg. Are there any plans to build a bridge over the railway line to make it a straight run? S.W. Dines, Papatoetoe.
No. Manukau City Council has had a better idea. Instead of a bridge, a tunnel under the railway line is planned for a bit further south. This will connect Nesdale Ave and Liverpool Ave, and provide a straight run from the Southern Motorway to the airport.
I do a lot of walking and at least once a day I'm almost run over by drivers entering or leaving driveways. What is the rule here? Who gives way to whom? Owen Daniel, West Auckland.
The Road Code 2007, under the heading Sharing the Road, says: "When you are entering or leaving a driveway that crosses a footpath, [drivers] must give way to people using the footpath." It also says, in the information for pedestrians: "Be careful when crossing driveways, particularly when your visibility is restricted by buildings or fences." So we have a duty to look out for each other and for ourselves.
