Sounds like they're almost as useful as Wellington's "smart" motorway..

tripper1000:

 

People bleating about the onramp lights at Greenlane and associated suburban jams gets my blood boiling because they are straight out of the Marie Antoinette play book of ignorance and indifference.

 

These people either don't know or don't care that the Greenland onramp is a thorn in the side of the entire southern motorway, causing multi km long motorway jams every day of the week even Saturdays and Sundays.

 

To put this rant in context for non-Aucklanders, Greenlane has multiple alternate routes to the CBD as it is the 2nd nearest onramp to the CBD. You will appreciate why bleating about a minor suburban traffic jam and the inconvenience of having to consider a couple of km's of non-motorway routes can get the hackles up of other Southern motorway commuters who are have no interest in Greenland and have to park up on the motorway until the citizens of Greenlane have concluded their morning commutes to the city.

 

If you don't want to obey the onramp lights at Greenlane, the rest of Auckland would give a standing ovation to any city councillor that had the courage to block-off or demolish the Greenlane on ramps. That dude wouldn't have to pay for a drink in bar for the rest of his life.

 

There are instances where some vehicles get priority at the onramp lights.

- Vehicles with multiple occupants (T2 / T3)

- Trucks / buses

- Electric Vehicles ?

From that point of view it promotes carpooling.  Don't want to queue for the onramp?  Have more than one person in your car!

But i agree with the frustration of these lights letting 1-2 cars onto the motorway every 10-15 seconds meaning the traffic backs up into a 1/2 hour long queue clogging the local roads.

gmball: W
Keen to hear feedback.

i recokon it only works when there is a long way before entering the motorway and before the lights. 

Like the panmure ellerslie highway. the lights never work. The queue are all the way back to great south road. 

Once the motorways network is completed 100% the smart Mway system will make more sense. 

in the UK it seems to work.  

sbiddle:

I fail to see why anybody could think that removing the lights will fix the on ramp woes. I think in general lots of traffic engineers are idiots (what NZTA have done with the smart motorway in Wellington is all the proof you need of that) but speaking in detail to one after they were installed they are without doubt highly effective.

Removing the lights will slow down the merge meaning the tailbacks will occur both on the motorway and on the on ramp. There is no evidence at all to show that the queues for the on ramp would be less if the lights were removed as the lights will allow greater throughput per hour on the on ramp than the same merge without lights.

The real issue is that the traffic volumes at these points are too great for the roading infrastructure.

 

 

 

timbosan:

 

I have done my part and taken a car off the road, making a (small) difference.

It would be a large difference if lots of people did this.

However I think motorbikes just don't work for a lot of people like me. I don't want to take the personal injury risk - I can't afford to be off work for causes I can avoid, I can't be turning up to work in motorcycle clothing (or I would need to change but I can't store a wardrobe of clothes at work and I don't want to scrunch clothes into a backpack)... it just doesn't seem to work for me. e-Bike could work in summer - at least there are bike lanes so I can mitigate the risk, but winter commute won't work.

But school kids seriously need to be out of parents' cars and on their feet, bike or bus.

kryptonjohn:

 

However I think motorbikes just don't work for a lot of people like me. I don't want to take the personal injury risk - I can't afford to be off work for causes I can avoid, I can't be turning up to work in motorcycle clothing (or I would need to change but I can't store a wardrobe of clothes at work and I don't want to scrunch clothes into a backpack)... it just doesn't seem to work for me. e-Bike could work in summer - at least there are bike lanes so I can mitigate the risk, but winter commute won't work.

 

Same.  I love motorbikes, but not prepared to take the risk on the road.  Also motorbike parking can be problematic in Welly.

Ditto cycling (in terms of risk).

I've chosen to live 5 minutes walk from work.  I can get up at 8:00am and be at work at 8:30am.

Motorbikes and cycling and the associated workplace clothing impracticalities are a mind set thing. It is normal and acceptable for kiwi work places not to have locker rooms and showers. With a change in employer mind set motorbikes and cycling would be practical. Would also make non-gym exercising at lunch time feasible.

tripper1000:

 

Motorbikes and cycling and the associated workplace clothing impracticalities are a mind set thing. It is normal and acceptable for kiwi work places not to have locker rooms and showers. With a change in employer mind set motorbikes and cycling would be practical. Would also make non-gym exercising at lunch time feasible.

 

Who's mindset? The employee, employer or the customer? I am my own employer and visit customers. I can't change their mindset and they generally expect their visiting consultants to be in a suit or smart casual. No way am I going in there in motorcycle or cycling gear.

I would not be impressed if employees in offices where I work spent the day sitting next to me in their damp cycling or motorcycle gear.

I'm talking about traditional fixed work places (not people whose job has them on the road) and the mind set of the employers, and conversely what the employees expect of their work place. 

tripper1000:

 

I'm talking about traditional fixed work places (not people whose job has them on the road) and the mind set of the employers, and conversely what the employees expect of their work place. 

 

Ok, I see that's a bit different to my mindset of being on customer premises a lot of the time.

However... I still don't think you can have people sitting around in gear they have been pedalling to work in. Too smelly. Employers should be providing, if not locker rooms, at least a shower.

timbosan:

 

If you re-read my post you will see:

1) I ride a motorbike so the queues don't bother me
2) I said the core problem is people in cars, specifically 1 person per car and that on=ramp lights are just a sticking plaster solution.

I have done my part and taken a car off the road, making a (small) difference.

Also I don't understand why the hate against users of the Greelane onramp? Its no worse than Market Road in the mornings, or Penrose.  Both of which can be just as blocked an feed from just as many other suburbs.

OK, jumped the gun with point 1) and agree with point 2), salute you for the 3rd point.

The hate for Greenlane is because although all onramps are a bit bung on peak, off peak Greenlane somehow manages to bung up all 4 lanes of motorway, sometimes for several km's leading up to the on ramp. Market and Penrose are seldom if ever an issue off peak.

 It's counter intuitive for this to happen because it is the easiest onramp in Auckland having it's own dedicated lane right up to the next off ramp. You can drive for a Km before even needing to give merging a single thought. I think the because people are allergic to the left lane they're cutting in to the main flow ASAP and before speed matching.

 Why to the onramp lights operate off peak? Either they're broken or it's in answer to this inability to get merging right at any time of the day.

... and... would a lot of this problem go away if drivers could just manage their following distances properly and allow people to smoothly merge without causing unnecessary deceleration and ripples? (also requires the merging drivers to engage their brains).

evnafets:

But i agree with the frustration of these lights letting 1-2 cars onto the motorway every 10-15 seconds meaning the traffic backs up into a 1/2 hour long queue clogging the local roads.