I am a police sergeant in charge of road policing in Whanganui. I regularly take phone calls from members of the public about road and traffic issues that confuse, annoy and perplex them. So I have offered to answer some of those issues, via the Chronicle, to help a greater number of road users.
A recent question raised was around the new give way rule and certain intersections around the town. These intersections include Anzac Parade with Portal St, Purnell St with Jackson St, and Great North Rd and Parsons St. For those who can visualise these intersections, they are all very similar: a controlled T-intersection with a small slip road.
If I use Anzac Parade as an example, the question was: who has right of way if turning left off Anzac Parade on to Portal St? There is a little slip road off Anzac Parade on to Portal St and a small triangular island separating the slip road from the start of Anzac Parade for those turning right off Anzac Parade on to Portal St. Confused yet?
One point of view was that cars turning right off Anzac on to Portal (those coming from the City Bridge direction) had right of way to those turning left off Anzac on to Portal. The reason being that those turning left had a small slip road to wait in as the other car was already on the road. The other point of view was those turning left had the right of way because the new give way rule specifies this. The simple answer is the second is correct: those turning left have right of way. To check this out and get a pictorial view of the rule, go to www.nzta.govt.nz/traffic/around-nz/index.html. Look up "Two of the give way rules have changed" and go to the bottom of the page to "Give way Q & As". Click on this and it takes you to several question and answers. Number 11 explains the law quite well, with pictures. I hope this clarifies the issue for you.
Drive safely and remember, we are all one community on the road, so be courteous and kind. It doesn't cost anything and makes for a more pleasant journey
