What has become of the Paperchase trucks which used to collect the North Shore's paper for recycling? I've just realised that I haven't seen any for a long time. Are papers now collected simply as part of the Envirowaste recycling scheme, although they don't go at the same time as the green bins? Presumably some other company has been awarded the contract, but I never seem to see a truck doing the job. Gretchen Leach, Mairangi Bay.
It has been quite some time. Paper collection on the North Shore has been carried out under contract by Onyx since 2005 following an open tender. The decision was based on service quality and best value for money.
Are you aware of any plans in the pipeline to address the bottleneck of traffic that occurs between Wairau Rd offramp and the Albany Expressway? This heavy traffic appears mainly due to vehicles from SH18 feeding into a two-lane section of SH1, combined with a heavily used offramp shortly thereafter in the Albany Expressway. Damien Browne, Albany.
The NZ Transport Agency, Auckland Transport and Auckland Council are working together to improve the transport system across the wider North Harbour area. The first priority for the NZTA is to increase the room available for northbound traffic on the Northern Motorway (SH1) between Upper Harbour Highway and Greville Rd, including interim improvements to the Greville Rd interchange. The extra room is expected to have a positive impact on traffic flows. Investigations on how best to do this are already underway, and construction is scheduled to start in mid to late 2013.
The Transport Agency is also planning to investigate interim improvements along Upper Harbour Highway, including some improvements to several intersections. Longer term, the NZTA will upgrade SH18 to full motorway status including an interchange at the SH18/Northern Motorway intersection. This upgrade will help deliver the benefits of the completed Western Ring Route, and meet the demands of the North Shore's growing population.
