Ask Phoebe: Stony 'cycleway' actually for feet

The unsealed section of the Watercare coastal walkway along Island Road is part of Te Araroa, The Long Pathway, which stretches much of the length of New Zealand. Photo / Greg Bowker

Can you tell me if there are plans to cement or tarseal the cycleway around Mangere from Ambury Park to Island Rd and from Island Rd to Oruarangi Rd?

I have recently started riding a bike from Blockhouse Bay and it's a wonderful ride to Mangere and relatively safe. But because the cycleway is loose metal it is not suitable for road bikes, and really only suitable for mountain bikes. I am therefore forced back on to the road and miss out on the wonderful sights around Ambury Park.

I notice a lot of cyclists riding around the streets here and wonder if the cycleway was sealed then they would take advantage of it and keep off the streets. Colin Cossey, Blockhouse Bay.

The problem here is that it's not actually a cycleway, it's a coastal walkway. It was installed as part of Watercare's upgrade of the Mangere wastewater treatment plant, and forms a section of Te Araroa - The Long Pathway - which stretches much of the length of New Zealand.

It may be suitable for mountain bikes, and they are permitted, but walking is the best way to enjoy views of the Manukau Harbour and the birdlife that has been restored therein. You can get more information at www.watercare.co.nz

With all the new transit lanes now coming into operation, could you please clarify what status these lanes have outside of the operating times? Many times when I have been driving along Forrest Hill Rd on the North Shore, outside of the operating hours, cars have been driving on my left (more often than not exceeding the 50km/h speed limit) as if the transit lane is another driving lane. Perhaps a sign needs to be incorporated into the transit lane sign to clarify this. Dennise Cook, Torbay.

Although motorists are not allowed to speed, they are entitled to use the transit lanes outside the operating hours. The signs indicate pretty clearly the time span during which the lanes are transit lanes, and which vehicles may use them, for example two or more people in a car.

Any further information on the signs would, in my opinion, lead to confusion. As an example, the transit lane signs going into Wellington contain information on their use Monday-Friday, Sunday afternoons and public holidays, and are so cluttered they're almost illegible.

We've often heard the proposed Avondale-Southdown railway mentioned, but just when is this line actually going to be built? Isaac Broome, Auckland.

Who knows? Jenni Austin of the KiwiRail Group, which controls the Government's rail assets, says that a designation has been in place for many years, since 1947 in fact, for a rail link between Avondale and Southdown. Although it remains an important strategic link for Auckland's rail network, there are currently no plans or funding to build it.

A quick search of Wikipedia reveals that one of the main functions of such a line would be to remove north-south freight trains from the section of Auckland's rail network that carries the most passenger traffic. The line would connect the western line just south of the Avondale railway station to the freight centre at Southdown.