KEY POINTS:
Could you find out for me if Auckland City Council is able to do something about preventing cars from turning right from Albert St into the Crowne Plaza Hotel please? There is a no-right-turn sign but it's not very visible. When cars attempt to turn into the carpark they block one lane in Albert St and also break Road Code rules.
Steve Munns, Auckland.
I have looked at this thorny (leafy?) issue before, but it seems little action has been taken.
The council knows about the frequent transgressors here, but even though it put the sign up, it does not have the authority to enforce a moving vehicle violation. That pleasure rests with the police, so this year the council said it would ask the police to provide "targeted enforcement", particularly during peak hours. They may have done, but if the problem still exists, the deterrent has lost its sting, and another term is required.
From observation, the sign can be seen under the foliage, but by then cars are committed to turning. A bigger sign might be more effective.
An upgrade of Albert St planned for this year, which would take the issue of the sign into account, has been put on hold while designers try to work out how greater priority can be given to pedestrians.
The bus lane along Tamaki Drive from Ngapipi Rd towards Quay St has signs at regular intervals, but it is not until it reaches Tangihua St that signs with hours of operation appear. Is this bus lane a no-go at all times, or does the time on the last sign, 6am to 10am, apply from Ngapipi Rd?
Les Miller, Auckland.
This is an oversight, and will be rectified. The bus lane from Kelly Tarlton's to Ngapipi Rd is 7am-9am, like most suburban bus lanes, and the CBD bus lanes along Quay St are 6am-10am.
Large green patches have sprung up in Remuera Rd recently. What are they for? Are there some restrictions we haven't been told about?
Anita Banbury, Auckland, and a Remuera resident.
The green bits betoken the imminent arrival of bus lanes in Remuera Rd, which will extend from Nuffield St towards Meadowbank.
The citybound bus lane will run from 7am to 9am while the outbound lane will run from 4pm to 6pm. The signs disclosing the hours are up, but they are still wrapped in black plastic.
There are also cycle advance boxes at traffic lights, which are yet to have their bike motifs applied.
The work was to have been completed by the end of July, but the weather has held things up.
