Busy intersection gets the green light

A busy intersection in Auckland has prompted new traffic lights, but not everyone is happy.

During the installation on the Abbotts Way and Grand Drive intersection in Meadowbank on August 15, some road users have been asking why lights were favoured over a roundabout.

In a recent Neighbourly.co.nz poll, close to half of the respondents (46.8 per cent) believe the lights are holding traffic up at peak times.

Five per cent believe they have made no difference in improving traffic flow.

Some users consider the intersection as dangerous and local residents have experienced significant delays in crossing from Grand Drive into Abbotts Way in the past.

‘‘My record waiting time to turn right out of Grand Drive was 13 minutes off-peak on a weekday,’’ Karen Clearly posted on Neighbourly.

According to Auckland Transport the intersection does not have a significant safety or operational problem.

Over a five-year period from 2015 there have been six right turning crashes, which is not considered ‘‘high’’ for a collector/ arterial intersection.

‘‘If a roundabout had been installed it would have required an additional lane to be built and extra land to be purchased,’’ AT spokesperson Mark Hannan says.

‘‘Also, because of the difference in traffic flows between the two roads, a roundabout would have resulted in delays along Grand Drive during peak times.’’

At busy times a roundabout may not provide as much capacity as a traffic signal controlled intersection.

Traffic can also experience significant delays where the approaches to roundabouts carry differing volumes of traffic, where one or two approaches carry much more traffic and affect other entries.

Hannan says the preferred option was to install traffic signals to improve access out of Grand Drive.

This would improve pedestrian connectivity in the area and be cost effective.

‘‘We are discussing all issues raised...to ensure the smooth running of the intersection,’’ he says.

The new traffic lights will be monitored for a period of time to make necessary adjustment to the phased timing of the light change sequence.