Auckland Transport has backed down over refusals to reimburse a woman who loaded more than $50 on a Hop bus card two days before the card became redundant.

The Govt has approved a fast-track consenting process for a $760m Auckland motorway that has yet to be given a start date.

Auckland Transport is acting like an Indonesian execution squad, refusing to give victims any prior warning of their appointed date with destiny, writes Brian Rudman.

Motoring enthusiasts have toned it down away from the track after a police promise to come down hard on speeding and drunk drivers.

Bus card operator Snapper could snaffle up to $2 million from commuters who are left with cash on their cards this summer.

Drivers who refuse to pay speeding fines will have their licence confiscated - sometimes on the side of the road - and possibly lose their car under changes due in months.

A financially troubled council body has splashed out about $41,500 on a party for 1700 staff and family at the Cloud.

Auckland Transport refuses to say if it will keep giving passengers with only old purple Snapper Hop cards free trips on buses equipped with newer technology.

Many Auckland bus passengers face a lucky dip today over which type of electronic Hop card will get them to work or classes.

Replacing a propeller which fell off an Interislander ferry during a Cook Strait crossing could take up to nine months, KiwiRail says.

Fog has caused delays and cancellations to flights in and out of Wellington Airport, while the rest of the country prepares for "a better looking weekend" and Auckland a "gorgeous" Saturday.

Morning commuters were delayed in Wellington today after a car rolled on Aotea Quay.

A swift crackdown is expected on what the New Zealand Taxi Federation calls illegal and unacceptable moonlighting by unqualified Dunedin drivers charging fees, having passengers buy them petrol, or accepting donations for their services.

The City of Sails is fast becoming the City of Snails, and is rising on a list of the world's most congested cities compiled by navigation firm TomTom.

New drink limits are far from a harsh crackdown. It is a step that finds the Govt in tune with the level of drink-driving that most people here and abroad think acceptable.

A bus driver has been stood down amid reports he did two U-turns on a busy motorway in Wellington.

The Government is reviewing a voluntary code of conduct for wheel-clamping, which Labour and the Automobile Association want made mandatory, with a maximum $50 fee.

New laws for child seats in cars come into effect today, but police will be taking a discretionary approach while parents get to grips with the rules.

A year-long trial change in the landing approach for some flights to Auckland's airport will end today after months of residents complaining of increased noise.

Texting, reading magazines, eating and applying makeup are among the top 10 driver distractions, an AA Insurance survey has found.

It's a frustration every public transport user knows - waiting for an overdue bus, only to have several turn up at once.