Missed chance to dodge fines furore

Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

A former senior Auckland City Council employee said plans for bus lane signage were under way last year and major embarrassment would have been avoided if they were implemented.

The news comes as council agrees to review its bus lane infringement regime after a ratepayer revolt at revelations it has pulled in millions of dollars in fines from the lanes.

Figures released on Friday showed the number of fines had doubled in three years and the value of those fines ballooned to more than $6 million.

The former employee, who would not be named, said between late 2008 and mid last year there were two plans for signage.

One involved painting bright red strips on bus lanes 50m from intersections to mark where motorists could legally enter bus lanes.

Another involved installing LED signage, similar to those indicating school speed zones, on Quay St to tell people when the lanes were in operation.

"We even got to the point of manufacturing the sign which was going to be on Quay St," the source said.

"These signs were put in place to tell people when they could and couldn't use the bus lanes."

Harriman Signs chief executive Graeme Matthews confirmed the company was contracted to produce such a sign last year.

"Yes, we produced a prototype that was passed on to Auckland City Council for their consideration. That was the end of our involvement."

New Zealand Transport Committee chair Ken Baguley said he had heard of the plans for LED signage last year. "One of the officers raised the idea of an illuminated sign which said the bus lane was open or closed. It never went anywhere.

"The issue is whether they conform to NZTA rules."

Baguley said the only time he had ever heard of the idea to paint a 50m mark on bus lanes was this week in an email he received from a person in Singapore.

"It most definitely never came to the transport committee." But he would consider the idea. "It's worthwhile looking at if it works internationally."

Any process involving road marking would have to be approved by the NZTA.

"The NZTA doesn't have any formalised marking criteria because of the practicalities of it."

Baguley said a red strip of paint to mark 50m from an intersection was "a simple suggestion" which would be complicated by the number of people entering and exiting bus lanes from driveways and shop entrances.