Ask Phoebe: Right-turning cars should stay in lane

Balmoral Road. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Travelling west on Green Lane West /Balmoral Rd and turning left to head south on Mt Eden Rd is a free turn lane (with a give way sign). Vehicles should have free access into the left of two lanes heading south (when Mt Eden Rd traffic is stopped on red) but often cars turning right on a green arrow (from eastbound on Balmoral Rd) swing wide into the left hand lane, almost causing accidents. Aren't vehicles turning right into two lanes required to pull into the closest lane (the right hand lane) leaving the left lane free for left turning traffic? Todd Douglas, Auckland, T. C. Ong, Auckland, Chris Barker, Takapuna, Colin Law, North Shore.

Yes, they are. If there are two lanes in the road you are turning into, you must turn into the lane closest to you.

We have a roundabout up here with five two-lane entrances and exits to it. Coming into the roundabout and wanting to pass one of the other entrances which is on my left and drive to the exit which is next to that, I need to indicate to any car waiting and turning left into the roundabout (I usually do this as I go past him) that I will be turning left. Who gives way to whom at roundabouts? I have had no problems, have used this roundabout since its inception, but new rules might confuse some. Could you please help? Athol Allpress, Whangarei.

The rules for roundabouts have not changed. You must still give way to traffic approaching from your right, and indicate in good time to notify other motorists which exit you intend to take.

Yesterday I arrived at the very busy intersection of Ti Rakau Drive and Pakuranga Highway to witness absolute chaos. The traffic lights were out and nobody had the slightest clue as to how to treat the situation. What does the road code say regarding non-operational traffic lights? Ian Cunningham, Bayswater.

When the traffic lights fail, the rule is to give way to vehicles approaching from your right. This rule has not changed under the new system.

Where a controlled T intersection has a give way sign in one direction and a stop sign in the other direction, do the signs have priority or does the right hand rule have priority? In this example, the give way is a terminating road and the stop is crossing the through road. Graham Smith, Auckland.

The signs still take priority.

Does the presence of a stop or give way sign at the end of a driveway promote the driveway into a road? Under the new rules an uncontrolled driveway gives way to traffic on a road. Anne Stewart, Rotorua.

To my mind, no it doesn't. The new rules are a bit hazy on this (it is not mentioned at all) but a driveway is a driveway, and vehicles thereon must give way to all vehicles on a road, including a road opposite the driveway. This applies even if the road is controlled by stop signs, give way signs or traffic signals and no-matter which way you are going when you leave the driveway.