Ask Phoebe: Tooting drivers are right - stop sign means stop

A stop sign means stop on Main Highway, Ellerslie. Photo / Greg Bowker

I'm driving northwest along the Main Highway in Ellerslie and I come to a stop sign, heading towards Robert St. Cars on Robert St wanting to turn right on to the Main Highway have a give-way sign. I want to go straight ahead on to Robert St, so neither of us can go at the same time. Someone has to give way.

I believe that regardless of the fact that I have a stop sign, I have the right of way to go straight ahead on to Robert St. I've had people tooting at me and a woman went scarlet screaming at me, thinking she had right of way because I was at the stop sign.

If you're new to the area, how would you know who had the stop sign and who had the give way?

Can you please clarify? I think I'm right. Michael Franklin, Ellerslie.

I'm sorry, Michael, but you are completely and utterly in the wrong, and my sympathies lie with the apoplectic woman, who did have right of way.

If you are at a stop sign, you must give way to all other vehicles, and not move off until it is safe to do so, for you and all other traffic.

And you can tell by the shape of the sign, even if is facing away from you, whether it is a stop or a give way.

The council's rationale for the apparently illogical signs at this intersection are based on the fact that the two main traffic flows are from the Main Highway turning right into Robert, and traffic turning left from Robert on to the Main Highway. They do plan to make some changes to the road markings and layout to ease the situation.

In a couple of places overseas I've experienced the equivalent of Auckland's motorway onramp traffic signals. Auckland's leave a lot to be desired. Are there any independent audit or quality check or the like on Auckland's system, covering things like IT systems, electronics, and the human oversight and involvement with manual overrides etc. Ross Nielsen , Auckland.

The NZ Transport Agency, who is responsible for the onramp signals, has operators who have access to cameras and a continuous stream of recorded data from all areas of the motorway network.

Right from the beginning of the project, when the first signals were installed, an independent international reference group has overseen the work, to make sure it's up with the play in terms of the most recent technology and practice.

To date, NZTA says the results show that the system performance is close to and in some areas ahead of what is being achieved in equivalent projects elsewhere in the world. However, there is still more work to be done, as anyone who has been caught in a motorway bottleneck or tailback will testify.

And if you want to see results from onramp signal monitoring, go to www.nzta.govt.nz/rampsignalling

Can you tell us who is responsible for maintaining the lighting on the pedestrian overbridge which crosses Lower Hobson St, from the Downtown carpark to Kermadec restaurant and the Viaduct? The fluorescent tubes have been progressively failing over a period of time, and now they're all dead. Bob Wilson, West Harbour.

The contractor responsible for the lighting has whizzed out for a look, and will make sure than any faulty tubes are replaced. The lights are supposed to be checked weekly as a matter of safety.