Council backs down on bus lanes

Photo / Dean Purcell

Public anger has forced the Auckland City Council to back down on its hard-line enforcement of bus-lane rules.

The change came as the Government warned the council against being "too pedantic and too bloody-minded".

The council said yesterday it would begin a trial as early as this week of using markers to show the 50m mark at which left-turning car drivers can enter the bus lane.

The announcement reverses the council's earlier stance.

The trial will be conducted in contentious spots, and bus lanes that operate for 24 hours will also be reviewed.

Rules which fine motorists $150 for driving more than 50m in a bus lane have been attacked by drivers as harsh and inflexible.

Bus-lane fines have netted $4.2 million in the past financial year, at an average of 77 tickets a day.

Motorists have complained about a lack of public awareness and signs, and some claim they have been fined for entering a bus lane within 52m of an intersection.

The chairman of the council's transport committee, Ken Baguley, told the Herald he wanted to begin the trial by the end of the week.

"There has been some angst about this, so we want to get something happening immediately," he said.

The trial would focus on trouble spots, where motorists had difficulty safely entering bus lanes within 50m of turning.

Mr Baguley said these spots included bus lanes on Khyber Pass and on Quay St near Britomart. Trials with markers would also be considered on Symonds St and in Ellerslie.

"We are very sympathetic to the situation and we want to do something about it, within the limits of our control. We will trial the markers and see if it makes a difference."

Transport Minister Steven Joyce weighed into the debate yesterday, saying a set distance was necessary, but he expected some leniency in enforcement.

"I would expect a reasonable amount of latitude so people don't see it as a revenue-gathering exercise. It's something I will ask my officials to have a conversation about with the Auckland City Council.

"From what I've been reading, there looks to be a few people being a little overzealous, and the risk of that is you lose the support of people for what you're doing, and I certainly wouldn't want to see them do that."

Mr Joyce said he did not think the $150 fine was too steep, but it depended on how the rules were enforced.

"If it's down to 1m or 2m distances, you could be accused of being too pedantic and too bloody-minded."

The council's transport general manager, Penny Pirrit, said the 50m issue could be a red herring, as about 75 per cent of tickets issued were for travelling more than 68m in a bus lane. No tickets had been issued for less than 56m and over the past three years 98 per cent of drivers had complied with the rules.

Mr Baguley said that if the trial proved successful, there would still be hurdles in enforcement.

"This comes at a time that we are trying to reduce sign clutter. You can see up to 100 signs in a 100m stretch on Remuera Rd, and this could add 10 more."

The council would have to decide what form the 50m marker would take, but for the trial, temporary signs will be placed on the side of the road 50m before an intersection.

Transport committee members said more education was the most important step. The committee planned to publish instructions and information on bus lanes in the council's weekly City Scene newsletter.

The committee would also discuss 24-hour bus lanes. Mr Baguley said bus-lane rules should apply only at peak periods.

- ADDITIONAL REPORTING: DEREK CHENG