Traffic man goes with the flow

By JO-MARIE BROWN

While Aucklanders languished in Wednesday night's traffic snarl-up, Gerard Pereira watched their frustrated faces, knowing there was little he could do to help.

Armed with around 30 television monitors and computer screens, the man monitoring our traffic lights could see the chaos at every central-city intersection.

Mr Pereira, a traffic signals engineer for the Auckland City Council, was forced to override computer systems and take control of traffic lights at around 20 intersections during Wednesday night's heavy rain to try to ease congestion.

"You could see a lot of people wanting to go on to the motorway and when the motorway traffic slows down it causes problems in the city."

But with the motorway's on-ramps clogged, there was little he could do. "We did our best, traffic signals-wise. We could see people getting anxious but we see that happen all the time."

Atrocious weather combined with commuters heading home blocked roads from around 5.15 pm, Mr Pereira said.

The council's traffic control room on Wellesley St - from which Mr Pereira keeps an eye on things - has an unnerving "big brother" feel. With a single swivel of a trackball-mouse, a camera mounted on top of the Sky Tower can zoom in on any CBD intersection, as well as spying on traffic moving over the Harbour Bridge.

Traffic signals manager Graeme Raynel said the jam was one of the worst he had seen. "We can help to a certain extent, but it can reach a point where we can't do anything."

Herald Online feature: Getting Auckland moving

Herald Online traffic reports

Rideline Auckland bus information