KEY POINTS:
I thought you had to stop at stop signs before proceeding through an intersection. In Onehunga especially - and I can give you any number of examples - motorists treat stop signs like give-way signs and barely slow down. I have seen a lot of near-misses. What are
the rules? R.H. Mason, Onehunga.
At a stop sign you must come to a complete stop, not just slow down. You stop where you can see vehicles in all directions, and you stay stopped and give way to all other vehicles, including bicycles and motorbikes. You don't go until it is safe for you and the way is clear. The police monitor intersections as far as their resources allow, so perhaps they'll be keeping a close eye on Onehunga now.
I am a keen cyclist and like many others enjoy riding along Tamaki Drive. We ride on the road, as speeds can sometimes reach 35 km/h, and that's not safe on the cycle lane on the footpath. My concern is the intersection of Ngapipi Rd and Tamaki Drive. There are a number of traffic islands at this intersection, but one in particular is incredibly dangerous.
When riding west along Tamaki Drive, the cycle lane on the road comes to an end at Ngapipi. Traffic turning right into Ngapipi coming from the city tends to misjudge the speed of the cyclist, causing problems.
I know of seven cycling accidents here, including one in which I was involved. Traffic turning in front of us caused my companion to swerve, hitting the concrete traffic island. Surely there must be a better way of controlling traffic here than a solid concrete slab. Duncan Harris, Auckland.
Auckland City Council is aware of the problems at this intersection and is working towards making it safer. It is evaluating traffic flows and queues and examining the recorded crash history. The traffic island at the end of the cycle lane will be removed later this year, and further improvements are in the wind given the constraints of space and traffic volume.
Recently a lot of trees have been removed from the Takanini onramp area. Who did this, and why? Was a resource consent obtained? Will the onramp area be replanted? Suzanne Watt, South Auckland.
A number of poplar trees have been removed in the past four weeks. An arborist did an assessment at the interchange and found that some of the trees were unsafe and branches were falling on to the motorway lanes.
There is a landscaping plan in place and next week the steep area next to the onramp will be replanted with shrubs such as flaxes and pittosporums, as well as trees similar to those in other plantings along the Southern Motorway.
The work is part of Transit New Zealand's existing motorway designation and maintenance operational plan, and does not require a resource consent.
