Ask Phoebe: Little train in the big park chugging back for kids

The train feature in the playground at One Tree Hill Domain. Photo / Sarah Ivey

I would love it if you could shed some light on what has happened to the train from the playground in One Tree Hill near the Stardome. It disappeared one day and there is a big fence but no sign to help us explain to sad little people why the train is hiding. Brittany Bray, Auckland.

Good news at last for the sad little people. The train has been away for a wash and brush-up, but as of yesterday it's back in business.

Last year the residents of Aberdeen Rd were asked for their opinion on a proposal to install traffic lights at the junction of Aberdeen Rd and East Coast Rd. This was to avoid the long queues of cars waiting at the top of Aberdeen Rd and, as I understand it, the residents were in favour. Are there any plans to proceed with this? Charles Spain, Milford.

Auckland Transport does not have any plans to put in signals at this intersection at present. The North Shore City Council did consider signalising this intersection and even prepared a design and cost estimate. Due to the heavy volume of traffic on East Coast Rd, signalising this intersection would also necessitate widening the road to provide extra capacity. This work would impact on many steep driveways and power poles and make it a very expensive project. Also, signalising the intersection would increase delays to traffic on East Coast Rd, and overall the costs outweigh the benefits.

As a daily user of Rosebank Rd in Avondale I've noticed over the years, and now more recently, the access to this long road has changed and continues to change. At one end I'm watching the Northwestern Motorway and the Pt Chevalier interchange take shape as well as the older upgrade to Ash St, meaning more traffic is using this narrow arterial road.

My question is related to getting out on to Rosebank Rd from many of the dead-end side roads along this route. Does the council have any plans to install traffic lights on the side roads so traffic can exit on to Rosebank Rd in the peak times of 7.30am to 8.30am and 3.15pm to 5.15pm? One of Auckland's largest secondary schools is also located on this road. Peter Hitchcock, Auckland.

Auckland Transport does have a designation along this road to signify to landowners that it is planning to widen the road in the long term. Unfortunately there is no budget for this work in the Regional Land Transport Plan, and AT has no plans to signalise any of the intersections in the short term.

If you have concerns about any of these intersections in particular, the staff at AT are happy to investigate the issue and consider short-term improvements.

• Further information on Bosanquet/Bostaquet Bay on Kawau Island - it was apparently named after Sir Day Hort Bosanquet, who was in the Admiralty and a close friend of Sir George Grey. Bosanquet often visited Grey at Mansion House Bay and as a gesture of friendship Grey named the nearby bay after him.