Ask Phoebe: Upper Harbour motorway the real 'final' connection

Photo / NZPA

Q: Major works continue from Mt Roskill to Waterview for what is called the final connection for this motorway. However, just past the Albany off-ramp the motorway does in fact end and become Upper Harbour Highway. What is the future for this last kilometre of road?

Harry Van Bakel, Whangarei.

Upgrading this last section of the Upper Harbour Highway to full motorway standard is on the New Zealand Transport Agency's agenda as part of creating a seamless motorway-to-motorway connection between SH16 (the Western Ring Route), SH18 (Upper Harbour Highway) and SH1 (the Northern Motorway). Next year, the Transport Agency will carry out investigation works for a suite of improvements for the Northern Motorway - including the Upper Harbour Highway upgrade.

Q: Why do off-ramp traffic lights often stay on for much longer than necessary? Are they controlled by the amount of flow, or by some controller?

At Esmonde Rd, traffic is sometimes banked up for half a kilometre, often because the lights are on when they needn't be.

Roger Hall, Takapuna.

It's all quite scientific, not just at the whim of a controller.

Ramp signals are operated by the Transport Agency from the NZTA/Auckland Transport Joint Transport Operations Centre at Takapuna. The system is designed to help keep motorway traffic flowing as freely as possible. Electronic sensors measure traffic volumes and the signals turn on when the system detects congestion. Signals may operate because of congestion around just one ramp, but they may also regulate the number of vehicles joining a relatively clear section of motorway because the sensors have detected congestion further along the network.

Q: The Road Code says that you must not park closer than six metres from a pedestrian crossing on the approach side. Since that code was drafted, now the motorist has to give way to pedestrians on either side of the crossing and I wonder if the code should be altered to include the six metre parking rule on both sides of the road when approaching a crossing?

Where we live, cars park right up to the crossing on other than the approach side and pedestrians walk out on to the crossing from behind the parked cars with little warning.

Mike Millett, Northcote.

That's a very good point. Perhaps the Transport Agency would care to consider it in the next round of national road rule changes.