KEY POINTS:
Vehicles travelling east on Victoria St West, under the Victoria Park flyover, and wanting to turn right into Union St, have no traffic signals to indicate whether they have a green light, green arrow, amber light or red light once they are past the Franklin Rd lights. Could there be a set of lights erected on the pedestrian crossing post on the corner of Union St, angled so that only traffic in the right-turning bay can see it?
Accidents and near-accidents are a regular thing at this corner. Sometimes it takes the first car in the right-turning bay a while to realise it can go, when the through traffic has stopped. By the time the third car has turned, the red light has come on, which the motorist cannot see, and pedestrians have started to cross, because they have a cross-now signal.
Not a good situation.The alternative, which I have also seen, is for cars to go straight through on Victoria St West and then do a u-turn to come back to Union St.
A. Horner, Ponsonby.
The council readily admits that this is a tricky situation, because of the closeness of Franklin and Union. They are looking at ways to improve visibility of traffic signals and therefore safety of motorists and pedestrians. Their investigation should be finished by the end of the year, and, hopefully, implemented next year.
And, still in Victoria St West ...
My apartment overlooks the intersection of Victoria St West and Hobson St. There are two right-turning lanes from Victoria into the four lanes in Hobson, and every day there are near-misses when right-turning cars veer into the next-door lane, thereby cutting off traffic in that lane.
To compound the problem, the broken white lane markers on Hobson are easily confused with white painted arrows. The solution, as I see it, is to install overhead signage indicating that there are two right-turning lanes, plus a sign indicating which lane to be in for the Sky Tower carpark, plus repainting white lines and arrows. What do you think? Richard Thompson, Auckland.
Yes, overhead signage might alleviate the problem, but honestly, do we really want more? As I see it, the problem rests with the drivers themselves, and poor driving skills. Rule 2.4 of the Road User rules clearly states, not simply suggests, that "if road markings or traffic signs designate specific lanes for specific manoeuvres at the approaches to an intersection, a driver must not use any lane except for the manoeuvre appropriate to its marking or signage". In other words, if you are turning from a right-hand lane, turn into the right-hand lane if one is marked. The Road Code even has a little diagram to make it clear. But I agree, repainting the lines would go a way towards making things clearer.
* It seems that on Tuesday I misunderstood Shannon Tindal's problem at the motorway offramp at Nelson St, where it meets Union St, and I apologise. It isn't traffic coming from Union St that cuts her off and abuses her, but traffic from the left-hand lane also leaving the motorway. As indicated above, you must follow the lane appropriate to the lane you have just left, and if motorists are coming into your lane from the left, then they are encroaching on your lane and should keep to their own.
