KEY POINTS:
A licensed passenger vehicle that carries nine or more passengers is in law defined as a bus. Does this allow these vehicles to use the dedicated bus lanes? If it does, must the vehicle be carrying passengers, or simply be in service, or travelling from its depot to the point where it begins service? Robert Dew, Auckland.
I apologise for the length of time it's taken me to respond to this, Mr Dew. Transit says that for an operator to be able to use a motorway bus lane, they have to fall into three categories:
1. "Public passenger service", which means a passenger service used or available for use by the community at large and servicing the public without restriction or limitation to any particular class of the community; or
2. "Timetabled public passenger service", which means a public passenger service, the routes, areas of operation, operating hours, fares and other details of which have been notified in compliance with section 48 of the Transport Services Licensing Acts 1989 and such notified public passenger service has been registered pursuant to section 49 of that Act; or
3. "Timetabled public passenger service vehicle", a motor vehicle within the meaning of the Transport Act 1962 while it is used in fulfilling, conducting and performing a timetabled public passenger service.
As tour buses do not in general fall within these three categories, they may not be used on motorway bus lanes. The signage by the bus lanes is a bit misleading though, so perhaps the tour companies would have a defence.
City bus lanes tend to be less proscribed, and tour buses are permitted on them, regardless of how many passengers are aboard.
Some time ago we were told we would have traffic lights at Coxhead and Mahia Rds in Wattle Downs. Is there any sign of this happening soon? C. M. Scott, Wattle Downs.
Happening, yes, but soon, no. Realistically, it's a year or two away, while the council negotiates with adjoining landowners for the land needed for the lights.
I am British and am trying to adjust to the "give way to the right" rule at intersections, when turning left. So, if a car is turning right and they have their own right-turning box marked on the road to wait in, does the car turning left into the same road still have to give way to the right-turning car? Ellen Gebhardt, Torbay.
Yes. The road code says that if you are turning left at an intersection, you must give way to vehicles coming towards you that are turning right.
