Do you live in Auckland? Do you have a question or problem you want solved? Phoebe Falconer answers your queries every Thursday. Email 'Ask Phoebe' at newsdesk@nzherald.co.nz.
The southern end of Marau Cres in Mission Bay is an accident waiting to happen. There is parking on both sides, making it very narrow. Lots of impatient drivers try to get through and in the weekend it is worse. The northern end has lots of parallel parking
which could easily be copied. The pavements and grassed areas are oversized and could accommodate many cars without any inconvenience. Another solution would be parking on one side only. Can you help?
Sue McInness, Mission Bay.
Some parking has already been removed from Marau Cres, particularly where road width and visibility were a problem. The very narrowness created by parked cars should encourage courtesy, but seldom does, in my experience.
The council feels that while extra angle parking would be useful during the summer months, the number that could be installed is restricted by the space needed for driveways. Because the cost of putting in extra parking is high and the demand is seasonal, the scheme is not viable.
However, the council will keep an eye on the situation over the summer, and if safety issues arise or the demand for parking is exorbitant, they'll try to work out how the situation can be improved.
At the Gillies Ave onramp, drivers travelling north try to merge early so that they can get to the Khyber Pass offramp. This creates queues on Gillies Ave as the traffic is cut off by these early mergers. Is there a way to encourage drivers to merge away from the onramp? There is plenty of opportunity once you are on the motorway to get to the Khyber Pass offramp.
Andy Mygind, Auckland.
It's a good question, Andy, but in the end it comes down to the same old thing - poor driving skills. And it seems there is little anyone can do to change driver behaviour.
There have been several reasonably successful education programmes, such as the "Merge Like a Zip" campaign. In fact, there is still a merging sign on the Gillies Ave onramp.
But more work needs to be done to help drivers understand that they don't have to panic and that they will be able to get off the motorway where they want to.
Ramp signals are planned for Gillies Ave onramp early next year, which should help to space out the traffic and control the flow on to the motorway.
Why does Transit insist on closing passing lanes on holiday weekends and when there is heavy road usage? I'm thinking particularly of State Highway 1 out of Dome Valley heading south.
Sue Langley, St Heliers.
Contrary to popular belief, passing lanes are often the cause of snarl-ups during heavy congestion, because the point where the traffic merges again becomes the slowest point on the road, causing long tailbacks.
When the passing lanes are closed, the traffic moves smoothly.
It's simple, when you think about it.
