Akl commuters?

[Big Dave]

You crew that do the peak hour commute.

In your opinion:
Have the 50 something million dollars worth of traffic flow lights on the on ramps made any difference to providing 'consistent travelling times' or 'improved flow' ?

[The_Dover]

I think they have facilitated "consistent flow"

like squeezing molasses though a pipette.

[mikey62]

But would be a great idea back on Great South Rd !

[Karma]

I've never seen them turned on...

[forkoil]

For bikers they've improved things by pushing the excess back on the feeder roads, and making the m'ways a bit better. So we can under/over take with more safety on the feeders than on the m'way

[Disco Dan]

There is still the same amount of cars on the mway. There is still the same amount of congestion.

All it's done is moved the bottlenecks around.

Adding another 2 lanes from town to lincoln road would solve the problem. But by the time that would happen, we would need 3 lanes... etc etc

[Donor]

I've never seen them turned on...

I was thinking the same thing...

...and who was the dumb ass who put a set on the southbound on ramp at Takanini anyway?

[Buster]

Its still the same old shit. I travel from North Shore to Papatoetoe and back just before peak times. (I asked for these hours before I took the job.)
Its still only one person per car. Would be very rare to see two or more passengers in a private vehicle.
Also, it only takes one accident or breakdown to mess it up all the way through. Even when it rains the traffic is worse.

The ramp signals might have helped the folks getting on the motorway (I wouldnt know) But its at the expense of the people already on it.

:done:

[surfer]

Seems to make a back log going onto the feeder roads. Motorway is a bit easier to get onto but the traffic is the same on the motorway.

Even if it does make a difference the difference it will be short lived as there seems to be more and more cars on the roads all the time. I remember when...(don't get me started)...

Come on Auckland sort the f***ing transport problem out with a system that works where the busses trains and ferries are integrated, where busses actually run where you want them to go and not just on the more financially lucrative routes. No wonder you get one person in a car!!!! Exasperated

[sAsLEX]

I never had problems flowing on the bike in gridlock.....................

[Big Dave]

I just reread the question - 'tis badly worded - Point of order - the cost included the capital works - lanes etc - not just the lights.

Geenlane flows better during the day - never seen the lights on either - but rarely travel at peak.

[The Joka]

They have been at the Mangere Township on ramp for years.. and haven't helped in the slightest!

Infact they made the shortcut of getting on their (instead of near Ascot road) a long cut and has sucessfully backed the rest of the motorway right up!

It is plaster over a wound that needs stiches!

I agree with the above comment.. do it right, do it once!

Spaghetti Junction upgrade has made the traffic worse especially for the N.W. to Southern link one of the busiest links and they did F*&^ All for it!

But the port has a great run... hmmm wonder why! $$ involved at the port.

[xwhatsit]

Consistent travelling times, no. I mean we're speaking about cages here? Us bikers cheat. Once you're onto the motorway, it's (usually) much better than it used to be. However you've got to wait in a bloody long queue to get there, and this queue varies in size hugely from one day to the next. Since all of the lights have gone in, on all of the onramps considered, the onramp at northbound Mangere Bridge (where they had lights first) has reduced the queues somewhat, but they can still be quite bad.

For bikers, however, like forkoil said, it does make it somewhat more easier for us. It's much easier to lanesplit on the onramps -- priority lanes that we can use, and it's much easier and safer to judge what the cars are going to do when they're all lined up doubly waiting for the lights. And once you're on to the motorway, usually there's no reason to split.

Worth the money? I don't know, as I don't commute in a cage. But from a bikers point of view, looking from the outside at this, there seems to be a modicum of improvement.

[Spyked]

The crux of the matter is whether or not travelling time has decreased. Can't say that I've noticed any improvement.
Why don't they also make the new bus lanes available to bikes (free) and cars that are willing to pay a toll to use them?
Bikers would be safer, tolled cars would both reduce the congestion on the rest of the motorway and raise some revenue.

[The Pastor]

I think we need to ban cars.

[Grahameeboy]

Nah, don't think so. Shelly Beach onto Bridge...still same amount of traffic...caused a tailback to lights at Jervois Road

[Ozzie]

I was thinking the same thing...

...and who was the dumb ass who put a set on the southbound on ramp at Takanini anyway?

And south at Papakura, obviously to impact the 3 or 4 days a year it backs up that bad going south, like Thursday just gone.

And I also have never seen them on.

I commute daily from Papakura to Penrose, and got to say, any vague idea that the traffic has got better, is a clear indication that you (you in general, not donor) are spending too much time sniffing cage exhaust. The traffic so far this year has been a complete shit fight, the worst I've seen it.

I mostly leave at 8:30, occassionally at 9, but consistently it takes far longer than it used to. Specially the last couple of weeks, with drizzle and dickhead cagers, makes it dodgee to split, and seriously uncomfortable not to.

Time for someone to invent those jet bike things off return of the jedi, that would make a ride to work over traffic a blast.

Rant :done: !

[twinkle]

It won't work as it should until every on ramp has the lights installed and running, and that won't happen for a while yet. It will be interesting to see if it does reduce travel times.

[Donor]

I commute daily from Papakura to Penrose, and got to say, any vague idea that the traffic has got better, is a clear indication that you (you in general, not donor) are spending too much time sniffing cage exhaust. The traffic so far this year has been a complete shit fight, the worst I've seen it.

Yup yup... I'm coming in from Papakura to Mt Welly/Penrose/Otahuhu (one of those geographical quirks where I can claim to be in 3 places at once) and the traffic has just gone bad bad to... well REALLY bad something wicked over the last 12 months.

So much so, I've altered my start hours to accomodate and start at 0630 instead of 0730... even then it's starting to get hellishly busy...

[Street Gerbil]

Yup yup... I'm coming in from Papakura to Mt Welly/Penrose/Otahuhu (one of those geographical quirks where I can claim to be in 3 places at once) and the traffic has just gone bad bad to... well REALLY bad something wicked over the last 12 months.

Yep. Here is the recollection from my last ride on sh1 at peak time:
First thought - I would have been better off on my Street Magic.
Second thought - I would have been better off walking.