KEY POINTS:
I notice a couple of full-height fences are being erected on the Kingsland side of the Northwestern Motorway. Can you tell me if they are going to continue along to Western Springs, where I live? If so, will they be of a similar scale to block out the noise of the traffic? Jason Wong, Western Springs.
The New Zealand Transport Agency is building three fences along here to muffle noise.
They will run between the St Lukes offramp to the bottom of School Rd and Kingsland Ave, so you should get some benefit, Mr Wong, depending on where your house is.
The fences were required as part of the central motorway junction upgrade. Their placement has been determined by the location of the most-affected house, particularly two-storey houses. The fences are being painted to help them blend in, and shrubs will be planted behind them to soften the view.
What are the bylaws controlling the erection of election hoardings and billboards near intersections? I ask because some put up near the corner of Wilkinson Rd and the Ellerslie-Panmure Highway totally obstructed the line of sight, so that vehicles had to pull right out into the highway to see what was coming. Jim Garbutt, South Auckland.
According to Auckland City bylaw 27.2.1.2, a person may not display a sign on or near roads, footpaths and cycle lanes where that sign will obstruct the line of sight of any corner, bend, intersection or vehicle crossing.
The hoardings on the corner of Wilkinson Rd have been removed. The advertised candidates were asked to take theirs down, and any that weren't taken away were removed by the council. Council staff will continue to monitor the placement of election billboards until the big day.
At some point in the last couple of weeks, the number '30' has been painted on to both northbound lanes on Queen St, near the town hall. There are no 30km/h signs on the kerb to back it up, and I can't see any other painted digits at any of the other Queen St intersections, nor can I see anything indicating a return to 50km/h, so I assume this is a work in progress. Is it? Could the council please decide what it wants to say? Ian Batterbee, Auckland.
It has decided - a 30km/h speed limit on Queen St between the waterfront and Mayoral Drive.
The council does not expect this to cause any great inconvenience, as the mean vehicle speed on Queen St is now only 31km/h.
The restrictions came into force on October 6, and council staff are working with police to allow motorists time to get used to the new regime. The old 50km/h limit will remain on the hill above Mayoral Drive.
The move should make life safer for cyclists, and the 46,000 or so pedestrians who use this part of the main drag daily.
* Which is the worst road (street, crescent, lane, terrace, place, close, etc) in the Auckland region, and why? Poor surface, poor signage, poor access? Or worse?
Email your suggestions to askphoebe@nzherald.co.nz before the end of this month. We'll pick the 10 worst and endeavour to get something done about them.
