KEY POINTS:
Is there a timetable for the construction of the on- and off-ramps at Wainui Rd over the motorway north of Silverdale? Cyril Anderson, Auckland.
The ramps on the Northern Motorway will be built to service the Silverdale North development and are a combined operation between Transit and the developers. However, Rodney District Council understands that the planning is well advanced and construction may start as soon as October. The project will take about 12 months to complete.
Is the proposed Penlink road joining the Northern Motorway to Whangaparaoa to go ahead and, if so, when? And is there any intention to extend Knott Rd in Stanmore Bay? Del Bush, Mt Eden.
There is huge demand in the community for Penlink - but it's that old devil called money again. The council says it and its consultants have put together a solid business case for the Minister of Transport, Annette King, to seek the money for a likely toll road. The recent announcement of a possible regional petrol tax to fund local roading projects has been greeted with cries of joy, too. And Knott Rd? No. It's not part of the Penlink plan.
I wonder if a pad could be put at the lights on Ti Rakau Drive, turning into Te Koha Rd, and also the turn into Huntington Drive, so that when there is no traffic it could trigger a green light. At both sets of lights, you can wait for two or three minutes before a change in Te Irirangi sends a wave of traffic and sets off a green. Susan Lucas, Penrose.
These lights already have pads and they do work properly when the lights are not operating as part of a co-ordinated system - for example, overnight. The lights are part of a traffic light co-ordination system for Ti Rakau Drive by day. It's a system that has been much sought in past columns. In such systems, it is common for right-turning traffic and minor road traffic to be delayed so that the bulk of the movement can be pushed through the major road.
