Again this morning, I had to PUSH IN to get to the Nelson Street offramp, coz some dumb Aucklander can't read signs (or drive properly - but thats a given).At Khyber Pass, there is a sign that clearly displays Nelson Street. The lane it asks you to be in, is the MIDDLE lane (or second lane from right). This is the lane you need to be on if you want to get off the motorway at Nelson Street. Makes sense so far right?
The next step (which I dont know how it came about but I guess is all that Transit had to work with) involves the nasty left hand lane. As you drive along, we pass the Symonds Street/Ports feeder and any remaining traffic in the left lane are likely/expected to head off onto the Northwestern feeder (SH16).
Unfortunately, this lane does not exclusively feed the northwestern motorway - it splits. The 'split' goes to the NW feeder (SH16), while the main lane then becomes dedicated to the Nelson Street offramp. The middle and right lanes continue north. The split is the dumbest idea. Who thought of that?!?! You should have rotten fish thrown at you. Click the image for an enlarged diagram:
As you pass the SH16 feeder, the sign overhead indicates that Nelson Street traffic are to move from the middle lane into the (now assumed) empty left lane, which feeds directly into the city.
Here's my problem.
A lot of people dont go off at the NW feeder. They either think they are clever by pre-empting the lane change back at Khyber pass, or dont know where they are going and by fluke get into the city. Traffic is side by side every morning. The amount of road you have to navigate yourself at this point (on an overbridge) from the middle to the left lane is about 200m (see the pic below). It's downright dangerous, especially when you have to have to deal with cars that should have disappeared onto the Northwestern.
So now, I am going hold my horn down to make the offending driver, and all those around us, aware that I cannot get into the Nelson Street offramp - like the signs say - because someone is blocking the lane change. I won't get off the horn until I'm merged.
This is such a spiteful post I know, but day after day, after day, it gets right under your skin. I might email Leighton Smith. Or does he live on the shore and not give a toss?. He might ask me to Bus instead, if I hate the motorways so much. Hey, I could go back to buses - oh, if they were on time. Bugger.
