Taxis upset over use of transit lane

Taxi operators say they are being discriminated against by the North Shore City Council after it hastily moved to counter a law change on transit lane use.

A new Government rule will allow taxis to enjoy a faster trip along Onewa Rd.

At present, taxis have no more use rights than any car.

Buses travel the length of the heavily congested road in 25 minutes, against an hour in pre-lane days.

Taxis and cars can join buses and two-wheelers in the lane - if they have three or more people in them, including the driver.

Council transport operations manager Tom Morton said the Government's new road-user rule would defeat the purpose of a transit lane, which was to shift more people down a road by raising the number of people in vehicles.

The new rule, which says any vehicle that is carrying people for hire or reward is entitled to use the lane, would come into force on February 27. But it would take the council at least three months to respond with a new traffic control bylaw.

Councillors yesterday approved a temporary change to the bylaw to continue the restriction on taxis.

* Auckland's long-awaited $290 million Northern Busway gets underway tonight.

The Esmonde Rd off-ramp funnelling traffic from the Northern Motorway to Takapuna will be closed from 10pm to 6am to allow temporary concrete barriers to be installed.