KEY POINTS:
How long will it be before the Avondale railway station and track redevelopment at least starts? It has been promised for years, but nothing seems to be happening. I rarely catch the train at Avondale now because of the difficulty of getting on and off. The platform is too low and the gap too wide for safety. Corinne Opie, Avondale.
Hang on, help is on its way. The setting-up work has begun, and construction starts early next year. The project should be finished by the end of next year. It's a combined job, involving Ontrack, Auckland Regional Transport Authority and the Auckland City Council.
It's a tricky one, Avondale. The station is on a very tight curve, which creates the gap between the platform and the train.
The present platform is too short for the longer trains needed to carry all the people who now use rail, and the platforms cannot be extended at the station's current location. And Avondale marks the start of a section of single track, which causes bottlenecks between Mt Albert and Fruitvale Rd in New Lynn.
The project includes a new station further west, beside Layard St, which will give better access from the township.
The building of all of this and the laying of a second track is going to be awkward, and will cause some disruption. The railway line needs to be kept open, as do the pedestrian crossings. Most of the work will be done during the day, but there may be some times when night work or weekend work is required.
To find out more about the Avondale project, visit www.projectdart.org.nz and follow the pointers.
After 7am each day, buses running from Albany to the city often have a standing load of passengers, as all the seats are taken. The buses travel at motorway speed and if they have to brake, passengers are tossed around the bus. Are there any regulations relating to high-speed bus services and standing passengers? The matter is made worse ever since hot drinks were allowed to be taken on buses. I can imagine burns being caused by spilt drinks when the bus driver has to brake suddenly. Ron Wilson, Browns Bay.
The Auckland Regional Transport Authority says that buses have a maximum loading based on their capacity to carry that weight. Generally the maximum load occurs only at peak hours, when the motorways are so clogged that high speeds are unattainable anyway.
At all times, the bus driver has the final say over what is a safe loading level, up to the maximum allowed. And the only hot drinks allowed on board a bus are those bought from kiosks and which have sealable lids.
Good only if the lid is fitted properly, of course.
ARTA is delighted that more and more people are using public transport.
The opening of the Northern Busway in February should relieve the dreariness of full loads and crowded buses.
