KEY POINTS:
Scooter riders beat car-drivers on every leg of a commuter challenge in Auckland's morning traffic peak yesterday, although public transport proved the quickest means of travel from Takapuna.
The Trek Across Town event, staged for the first time by motorcycle importer Blue Wing Honda, pitted scooters against cars and buses in commuter runs from four points of Auckland to the Viaduct Basin.
First across the line for an early free breakfast was motorcycling magazine editor Ross MacKay, who took advantage of being allowed to use bus lanes to travel the 12.2km from New Lynn in 20 minutes on a 150cc scooter - at an average speed of 36.6 km/h.
He also used less than a third of a litre of fuel, at a cost of just 48c, compared with the standard bus fare from New Lynn of $4.30.
Another scooter, which travelled 23km from Manukau in 33 minutes, via bus priority lanes along the Southern Motorway, recorded the event's top average speed of 41.8km/h.
The fastest car took twice as long - 67 minutes - to cover the same route at an average speed of just 20.6km/h.
A bus passenger took longer, 100 minutes, frustrated by what event organiser Anthony MacLean said was heavy traffic on Great South Rd.
That was also the downfall of a passenger who took 52 minutes to travel 8.1km from Greenlane, although the Auckland City Council has begun public consultations to extend its network of bus lanes to that suburb.
Buses trailed scooters and cars on every leg except from Takapuna, on which a passenger beat the field by taking 21 minutes to travel 8km along priority shoulder lanes on each side of the harbour bridge.
It took a scooter 28 minutes to make the trip and the trip by car took 37 minutes.
Although most legs of a similar commuter challenge run last year by Cycle Action Auckland were won by cyclists, Mr MacLean said that event "inexplicably" omitted motorcycles.
Bicycles were absent from yesterday's challenge but he indicated the two could be combined next year, given that both highlighted fuel and time savings offered by two-wheel transport.
