Tunnel vision on speed
Aucklanders are enjoying the benefits of the Waterview tunnel, especially those who regularly travel from the centre of town to and from Auckland International Airport.
NZTA says that before the Waterview Connection opened, journeys from the airport to the CBD in the afternoon peak would take between 35 and 44 minutes via Manukau Rd and Gillies Ave. Now, through the Waterview Tunnel, they take 25 minutes, and on the Manukau/Gillies Ave route, they are around 33 minutes.
How long those benefits last is an open question but we should celebrate and enjoy them while they exist.
The agency says the additional route means demand is now spread more evenly across more of the Auckland motorway system, so everyone is benefiting from the tunnel, not just the 400,000 drivers using it each week.
Those of us who drive in Auckland have noticed the improvement, and long may it last.
However the 80km/h speed limit remains in place on the multilane section of the Northwestern motorway from the CBD to Waterview. This is now four months after the opening of the tunnel.
The lower speed limit is reasonable in the tunnel, but to have it in place on what appears to be a safe section of straight motorway, for so far, makes no sense.
Instead, the authorities should allow 100km/h until just before the turn-off into the tunnel.
While it is a crowded section of motorway, surely now motorists have had time to become used to the tunnel, and all users should be able to revert to the default speed limit. ABOUT US