New monitoring for Main Highway bus lane will protect bus travel times
Auckland Transport (AT) strives to safely keep people and freight moving.
In keeping with this, on 19 July 2021, Auckland Transport began remote monitoring the existing transit bus lane on Main Highway, from the end of Walpole St to just prior to the intersection with Great South Road.
Transport and safety cameras have now been installed to allow remote monitoring during the lane’s operating hours, which are 7am-10am, Monday to Friday.
Enforcement of the bus lane will start on Monday, 9 August 2021. Drivers using the lane incorrectly will receive a $150 infringement fine.
Incorrect use of the lane includes:
- single occupancy vehicles using the lane during its hours of operation;
- for more than 50 metres before turning.
Outside the hours of operation, the lane is available for use by all traffic, including single occupancy cars.
“Auckland Transport’s role is to provide a safe and efficient transport network that keeps people and freight moving,” says John Strawbridge, Group Manager, Parking Services and Compliance.
“The demand for transport in Auckland keeps growing, but the capacity of our roads is constrained by the space available.
“One of the ways we manage this is by providing ways for the same road space to carry more people, like converting a general traffic lane to a bus or transit lane.”
John Strawbridge says remote monitoring of bus and transit lanes allows Auckland Transport to provide a more consistent way to enforce the rules without the need for staff to stand at the side of the road for long periods.
“Most of our drivers get it right and we thank them for helping us to keep Auckland moving.”
He says warning letters are an important part of how AT communicates to people who are using bus and transit lanes incorrectly and they give advice on the correct way to use the lanes.
Warning letters were issued between Monday, 19 July and Friday, 30 July 2021.