NZ Politics

The 111 operator having to fish for information from someone who thinks they're on "the Te Ara Puaki expressway" is only a minor consequence, I guess.

This already happens.

Many years ago I called the ambulance while driving along a short section of highway that everyone in the region just calls "the bypass". They asked me if it was suchandsuch road. I literally had no idea. I've called it "the bypass" since its existence. I had to describe to the operator, while driving, where we were so they could find it on a map.

Do you know how many expressways are in the Wellington region?

To my knowledge, two, which is enough. But anyway, how many people never leave Wellington? And I don't think it matters if people mistake it for a road name.

The 111 operator having to fish for information from someone who thinks they’re on “the Te Ara Puaki expressway” is only a minor consequence, I guess.

I considered this, and I don't think it would make a substantial difference. If you didn't have Te Ara Puaki on the sign, then the 111 operator will have to deal with someone who doesn't know the name at all. And as soon as they say where they are, if they remember this name it will probably make it easier for the operator to find them.

Remember, when someone calls and says they are on Queen St or Church St, that's way less information than Te Ara Puaki Expressway. As soon as they are more specific with the area, then your argument about how few expressways there are now works in their favour. As far as I can tell, there are just 6 in the whole country.

It’s just poor design, and I’m amazed and disappointed it went into production.

I'd guess it's probably based on international signs that were part of the research into the safety of bilingual signs. I don't really have a problem with the design. It's just words conveying information. Maybe they could be better but I don't have a better design to prove it.