FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions

As part of road safety programme, the Road Safety team is making changes at the Titirangi Road and Godley Road intersection due to a history of crashes. The changes are required to improvs safety for all road users.

Titirangi Road and Godley Road are both busy arterial roads, with thousands of vehicles using them every day including buses, trucks, and cyclists. The area around the intersection is mostly residential, and many people walk along the footpaths, but there are no safe places to cross the road.

Right now, the intersection is controlled by give-way signs, and the left turn from Godley Road merges directly into traffic on Titirangi Road. This setup has led to several crashes over the past five years, especially involving vehicles turning right. There was also one crash where a pedestrian was injured.

Because of the crash history and the number of people walking in the area, the planned changes aim to make the intersection safer, especially for turning vehicles and pedestrians.

• The intersection is being upgraded from “give-way control” to traffic‐light control to improve safety and clarity.
• A new zebra crossing will be added on the left-turn slip lane from Godley Road into Titirangi Road.
• At normal times, the traffic lights will follow a fixed cycle (phasing). During busier periods, the system may adapt the timing to favour the road with heavier traffic.

The new lights at Godley Road / Titirangi Road will run in phases — giving each direction of traffic (and people on foot) a safe turn. This means no cars and people move across the same space at the same time.

The main phases:

• Godley Road traffic moves – Titirangi Road waits. People walking may cross Godley Road when the walk signal shows.
• Titirangi Road traffic moves – Godley Road waits. People walking may cross Titirangi Road when the walk signal shows.
• Slip lane turn (Godley → Titirangi) – Vehicles turn left with a green arrow. During this time, the new zebra crossing on the slip lane is red.
• Crossing – In some cycles, all vehicle traffic is stopped so people can cross safely.

Key things to know:

• The zebra crossing on the slip lane is not controlled by signals and cars must give way to pedestrians crossing the slip lane  
• Sometimes you’ll see a red light even if the road looks clear — that’s because it’s another direction’s turn.
• In busy times, the lights will adjust timing to keep traffic flowing.

It means that the intersection will be controlled by a sequence of phases (turns), where different traffic or people on foot get a green signal at different times. The key is: no conflicting movements run at the same time.

Below is a possible phasing sequence (this is illustrative — the actual timing and order may differ in the real system).

Yes, a roundabout was considered but wasn’t progressed due to several reasons outlined below:

• The roundabout option would require removing the left turn slip lane from Godley Road, which is heavily used during the evening peak times. This could cause delays for that movement.
• The roundabout doesn't provide safer crossing facilities for people on foot because it needs a large area to accommodate bigger vehicles like buses and semi-trailers. This means the roundabout has to be fully mountable, which might encourage smaller vehicles to travel faster.
• Additionally, all approaches to the roundabout would need to be single lane, which could lead to more delays and less efficient traffic flow. 

• The slip lane’s zebra crossing is “free-flowing” in the sense that the slip lane doesn’t get its own continuous green — drivers must stop when people are crossing.
• When the slip lane turn is not active (i.e. in Phases 1 or 2), people crossing that slip lane may have a green walk signal (but only when that slip lane’s traffic is fully stopped).
• During busy times, the timings may shift so the phases giving green to the road with heavier flow are longer, to reduce congestion.

• Separates turning traffic from through traffic so fewer conflicts occur.
• Ensures people only cross when it’s safe (i.e. conflicting car movements are stopped).
• Improves safety especially for school crossings and foot traffic.
• In heavy traffic, the system can “give priority” to the busier approach to keep traffic moving.

What tends to confuse people
• Slip lane + zebra crossing: People wonder how cars can turn while people cross — the trick is they do not happen at the same time.
• Seeing a clear road but the light is red: Vehicles or people on foot may see a gap, but their traffic light signal is red because the system is sequencing in a different direction.
• Overlapping turn & through movements (if arrows are used): If a turn arrow is green while through traffic is also green, people may think all turns are allowed, but conflict rules still apply.
• Adaptive timing: Because the system can adjust based on demand, sometimes the waiting time in a direction may feel variable, which can make it seem inconsistent