277 and shopping centre traffic

Forums › Off topic › 277 and shopping centre traffic

gzt

18671 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 7805

Lifetime subscriber

#310814 24-Nov-2023 00:57

Last time driving to 277 it was a normal Saturday or Sunday. It was easily 30 minutes waiting to get out of there. I could see no specific reason. It definitely wasn't any traffic on Broadway that day. It looked like people were taking their time at the parking barrier at the bottom of the single exit. I really have no idea. Other than that I did enjoy it. Anyway I swore never to go back and that was before covid : ).

The current problems don't surprise me. Same for Sylvia park. And Westfield at St Lukes was an obvious problem before the extension was opened.

Some of those places need to pay for their own dedicated motorway on-ramp and off-ramp before they're even built. Northwest almost has exactly that and the main exit route for the area is already clogged during the weekend. Nothing like 277 it has to be said.

1 | 2

5977 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4212

#3163074 24-Nov-2023 06:00

I live locally to North West. There are some times of year where you just don't go near Westgate. My partner spent 30 minutes getting out of the open-air carpark next to to the mall earlier this year. Costco doesn't help but it's not the problem it used to be. If we need to go anywhere, we get on the Upper Harbour Highway at Brigham Creek and go the long way around.

xpd

Geek of Coastguard
14115 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4574

Retired Mod

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3163105 24-Nov-2023 08:47

Before they started building the new 277, they were told the traffic infrastructure sucked around there, but they went ahead and did nothing to help.

There's no flow to the area, and the parking exits are in the worst spots.

XPD / Gavin

LinkTree

blackjack17

1713 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 865

#3163110 24-Nov-2023 08:55

There are numerous bus stops and a train station across the road at both shopping centres.

People don't get stuck in traffic, they are traffic.

Electric kiwi signup credit Sharesies credit

cddt

1964 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1903

#3163115 24-Nov-2023 09:04

blackjack17:

There are numerous bus stops and a train station across the road at both shopping centres.

People don't get stuck in traffic, they are traffic.

Unfortunately, buses also get stuck in traffic.

Senecio

2851 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3159

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#3163122 24-Nov-2023 09:11

And people wonder why we don't frequent bricks and mortar shops these days and prefer to use on-line shopping where we can. I hate being in traffic at the best of times. If its necessary for me to earn a living Mon-Fri then I have to suck it up. Choosing to be a part of it on the weekend is my idea of a living hell.

Bung

6733 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2926

Subscriber

#3163125 24-Nov-2023 09:22

How are the exits operated, pay at the gate or in advance? An earlier report talked of people not moving fast enough to get to the exit in the time allowed after paying. A few years ago we came across a 10km queue on a back country road in England. The cause was the delay in some cars turning off into a car park operated by 2 doddery old guys taking cash at the gate. As long as there were 2 or more cars waiting there was no room to pass. Small delays soon snowball.

Lenovo

Shop now for Lenovo laptops and other devices (affiliate link).

cddt

1964 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1903

#3163137 24-Nov-2023 10:11

Bung:

How are the exits operated, pay at the gate or in advance?

Licence plate scan I believe. If you register you get 2 hours free parking so every time I've been there the barrier arm automatically goes up as I drive up to it. Not sure how it works if you haven't registered on the app.

snj

305 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 221

#3163166 24-Nov-2023 10:58

cddt:

Bung:

How are the exits operated, pay at the gate or in advance?

Licence plate scan I believe. If you register you get 2 hours free parking so every time I've been there the barrier arm automatically goes up as I drive up to it. Not sure how it works if you haven't registered on the app.

Just like the AT carparks that use pay by plate, payment terminals near the pedestrian mall/carpark entrances. Also I've noticed they have Paywave/etc at the gate, presumably if you forget to pay at the pay stations.

I think you might also be able to link your plate directly to a card and it takes the payment at the gate (edit: just checked, Westfield app has the ability to load a card "To skip the paystation at selected centres").

ockel

2031 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 545

#3163189 24-Nov-2023 12:56

Traffic flow is not helped by both poor design on entry and exit. It was entirely foreseeable during construction.

Clovernook Rd - removal of the unneccessary traffic island would facilitate two lanes of traffic outbound. At present if left turning cars, paused by pedestrians across Broadway, are more than 4 deep then right-turning vehicle flow is halted.

Mortimer Pass carpark entry (orange) is too close to the Gillies Ave intersection creating back flow into Gillies (and motorway). Amplified by single lane for flow downhill and short RH turn lane into Mortimer. Better entry would have been further down Mortimer (as per previous 277 carpark) or entry from Gillies.

But its no different, as has been pointed out, than Westgate or Sylvia Park. When a mall gets to scale it quickly outgrows its surrounding infrastructure - until another mall comes along. Still better than trying to get in/out the CBD to bother with Commercial Bay.

gzt

18671 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 7805

Lifetime subscriber

#3163191 24-Nov-2023 13:18

snj: Licence plate scan I believe. If you register you get 2 hours free parking so every time I've been there the barrier arm automatically goes up as I drive up to it. Not sure how it works if you haven't registered on the app.

I think remember this now they had "Free Two Hours Parking!" on posters and promotions. Somewhere in fine print mentions you need to register on an app. There is every chance that caused problems at exit barrier time.

gzt

18671 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 7805

Lifetime subscriber

#3163334 24-Nov-2023 17:45

There is a maximum volume per minute the anpr barrier arm can process. I think it's not good for weekend volume even in the hypothetical best case where every person correctly registered on the app.

Geekzone support

Support Geekzone with one-off or recurring donations Donate via PressPatron.

Geektastic

18009 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 8465

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3163385 24-Nov-2023 22:35

Welcome to the world as it is in many other places!

nzkc

1634 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1041

#3163390 24-Nov-2023 23:11

Geektastic: Welcome to the world as it is in many other places!

That does not mean we need to accept it.

nzkc

1634 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1041

#3163391 24-Nov-2023 23:12

Senecio:

And people wonder why we don't frequent bricks and mortar shops these days and prefer to use on-line shopping where we can. I hate being in traffic at the best of times. If its necessary for me to earn a living Mon-Fri then I have to suck it up. Choosing to be a part of it on the weekend is my idea of a living hell.

And yet these bricks and mortar shops complain when you take traffic away from them. Especially if you look to pedestrianise them (see Queen Street). Yet, this would make me more likely to visit the area.

nic.wise

333 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 36

Trusted

#3163722 25-Nov-2023 18:04

cddt:

blackjack17:

There are numerous bus stops and a train station across the road at both shopping centres.

People don't get stuck in traffic, they are traffic.

Unfortunately, buses also get stuck in traffic.

Newmarket is LITERALLY THE MOST connected part of auckland (until the CRL finishes)

Get a train or bus. FFS.

Also buses don't, kinda. The problem is getting OUT of the carpark and back onto the road. The bus going past is largely fine.

Nic Wise - fastchicken.co.nz

1 | 2