KEY POINTS:
Couldn't there be an alternative solution to the traffic snarl-up on the Sunday afternoon return to Auckland from the north? The lights at Orewa are the problem, with the tail of the queue frequently starting at Kaiwaka, and I guess it won't be fixed until Alpurt B2 opens next year.
Phyllis Byrnes, Bayswater.
But there is a solution, and it's been available for years. Take the State Highway 16 turnoff at Wellsford and head to Kaukapakapa. From there you can either take Kahikatea Flat Rd to SH17 and rejoin SH1 at the Silverdale onramp, or continue on to Helensville and the Northwestern Motorway. Easy really. Easier still if you leave a bit earlier and travel outside the peak hours between 3pm and 6pm from Wellsford.
I commute to town on the Northwestern Motorway on a scooter. Around town scooters and bikes are allowed to use the bus lanes. Is there a reason riders are not allowed to use the designated bus lanes on the motorway? As so many bike riders weave their way through the traffic (illegal, I know), causing motorists grief, would it not be better to let motorbike riders use the bus lanes?
Sheryll Mein, Auckland.
I'm a bit confused here Sheryll. You mention bikes, scooters and motorbikes, all of which have different definitions in law. But the story remains the same; bus lanes on motorways are just that - bus lanes. No one else may use them. The reason is that the speed at which buses travel in the bus lanes would jeopardise those on smaller vehicles, such as motorbikes. And the reason that the buses can travel so fast? The lanes are not congested with other vehicles.
While I admire the initiative of the windscreen washers at intersections, can you tell me what road rules allow these annoying and aggressive people to wander through traffic on red and green lights, and even when the pedestrian lights are against them? I used to live in Australia where this is controlled for safety reasons, and police have regular operations to enforce it. Matti LuuTomes, Kohimarama.
There are no road rules that permit this activity. Most councils have a bylaw that prohibits windscreen washing at intersections. The ban is imposed for drivers' safety, and because the windscreen washers behaviour can be intimidating.
Clendon New World was a joy to shop at, with tons of parking for the disabled. Now there are only two parks, away from the entrance, and a sign that says, 'Beware of tiles when wet'. Why has this been done? Margaret Scott, Wattle Downs.
I spoke to Vinod Bhagar, the store manager, who says the other disabled carparks have been moved around the mall parking area, to comply with regulations controlling the ratio of disabled to able-bodied parks. But he said that he has had several queries about this, and so more carparks for the disabled are on the way, to be sited in front of the store again. And the warning sign for wet tiles is there because it is a health and safety requirement.
