KEY POINTS:
I was on the pedestrian bridge crossing from Akoranga bus station to the AUT campus when I noticed three tour company buses in the southbound motorway lanes. This was 8am on a weekday, and the traffic was bumper to bumper. I was curious as to why these buses were not using bus lanes, as surely it would have been much quicker. Is it not permitted for tour buses to use bus lanes, even if they are full of passengers? Marilyn Squire, Takapuna.
This has been addressed before, but bears repeating.
Transit says that for an operator to be able to use a motorway bus lane, it has to be in one of 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 Act 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 are not allowed to use motorway bus lanes.
The sign 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 restrictive, and tour buses are permitted on them, regardless of how many passengers are aboard.
Do we have a road rule that suggests we should drive in the left-hand lane of multi-lane roads, including motorways, unless either passing or preparing to turn? I thought we did, but many vehicles travel as if by right in the right-hand lane while a stream of traffic accumulates behind them. These vehicles then pass on the left. Is this permitted? Ginny Radford, Auckland.
Land Transport Rules state that a driver must at all times drive as near as practicable to the left of the road, with some exceptions. These include preparing to turn right, passing another vehicle, avoiding an obstruction, or because a road signal, such as an arrow, prohibits it.
The road rules also permit passing another vehicle on the left, but only if the vehicles are in different lanes, and the passing vehicle does not venture into a lane not usually available, such as a bus lane or hard shoulder. And, of course, you can pass on the left if the other vehicle is turning right.
When will the bus stop outside the Civic Theatre be reinstated for North Shore users? It was closed for the Queen St refurbishment but that part is long finished. P. Kershaw, Takapuna.
The city council is working with the Auckland Regional Transport Authority to decide on the best positions for bus stops around the central city.
They need to balance the needs of pedestrians, motorists and bus users in their deliberations, but in the meantime, the North Shore services will continue to leave from Albert St. Hopefully, a decision on the Civic stop is not too far away.
