Expert unable to estimate 50m so who could?

Allan Gyde. Photo / Paul Estcourt

As a builder and lecturer in spatial design, Allan Gyde thought he could estimate distances.

In fact, the South Auckland man was sure he would be spot on when he took up Auckland motorists' every-day challenge: guessing how long is 50m.

That's the maximum distance you are allowed to travel in a bus lane before an intersection.

Get it wrong and Auckland City Council's nine dedicated bus lane enforcement wardens will film you and you will be pinged with a $150 infringement.

Surprised by Herald readers' complaints about the difficulty of judging the distance while preparing to make a left turn and cross lanes, Mr Gyde decided to conduct his own test.

"I thought I would estimate how far 50m was in front of my vehicle.

"I thought if I can't judge it, who the hell could?"

As a former builder, followed by 30 years lecturing in spatial design, he thought it would be easy.

"I estimated a point, took a tape measure out of the boot and checked the distance. "I was seven metres out."

Mr Gyde then tested himself from the driver's seat.

After dropping his son off at Auckland University, he drove down Symonds St where many 50m infringement tickets have been issued.

"I was confronted by numerous signs, buses pulling in and out of spaces, trucks and cars, taxis dropping off passengers, students stranded mid-road while trying to cross, strange coloured markings down the road, and confronted with all this sensory overload, I was still expected to guess how far away 50m was."

Mr Gyde said the rule should be amended to delete the 50m and require a motorist to briefly enter the bus lane to safely carry out the turning manoeuvre as close as possible to the intended exit.

Dr Barry Hughes, of the research centre for cognitive neuroscience at the Psychology Department of Auckland University, also called for a change. It is too much to ask any person to estimate 50m, he said.

"You will find people are bad at making distance judgments when they have to use a metric such as metres.

"People would be more accurate telling you how long it would take to walk some distance.

"So, this having to judge 50m is quite silly.

"If you want people to obey a 50m rule you must show them where that 50m is."