A barricade closing off a lane at a busy Auckland intersection was mysteriously moved over the weekend, leading to confusion and concern among locals.
Auckland Transport (AT) is now investigating after the removal of the barricade - which fences off the lane as part of ongoing work on Karangahape Road - resulted in a "very near miss", according to one resident.
Without the barricade closing off the inside lane, it appears to motorists that both lanes can be used to turn left onto Newton Road, or continue straight onto Great North Road - making it extremely dangerous for cyclists and vehicles on the left.
One local believed the road markings had been painted incorrectly, warning others via Facebook.
"Warning to locals and cyclists. The council has accidentally painted two straight [and] left turn arrows on the K Road/Ponsonby/Great North Road intersection," she shared to a community group on Sunday.
"I witnessed a very near miss. This is really dangerous for people on bikes/motorcycles. I've reported to Auckland Council, but they said it could take up to 10 working days to fix."
However, AT spokesperson Mark Hannan said it was not a case of incorrect road markings, explaining that the barricade closing off the inside lane had been suspiciously lifted.
"The fence was moved which closes off the lane by the footpath," Hannah told Newshub. "We were notified of the issue at about 4pm on Sunday and immediately sent contractors to the site."
He says the situation was rectified by 6pm and the fence is now back in its correct place. However, how the barricade went missing remains a mystery.
"We don't know who moved the fence," Hannan said.
"We're now trying to find out how that happened."
