20 July 2011

Auckland Transport Proposes New Initiatives for Bus and Transit Lanes

Auckland Transport has now completed a review of signage and markings for bus and transit lanes throughout Auckland.

The review will allow the organisation to work toward achieving consistency across the region following the formation of the Super City in November 2010.

The review contains a raft of new initiatives from Auckland Transport which includes:

• Working with NZTA, the courts and the legal system to review the scale of bus lane infringements. Currently, a red-light running infringement with the possibility of a crash and associated casualties carries the same $150 penalty as the illegal use of a bus or transit lane.
• The issuing of warning notices for first-time offenders. Warnings currently exist for ‘out-of-towners.
• Warnings during the first two months of operation of a new bus or transit lane. A six-month focus on substantially reducing the number of infringements and a subsequent review of the signage and line-makings if this does not occur.

The potential to include bus lane elements in the official New Zealand road code will also be looked into.

The report says: “Historically bus and transit lanes across the region were often implemented from a local perspective, at times differing from area to area, creating confusion for drivers.

“The purpose of the review looks to provide clarity and consistency in demarcating these important lanes across the region.

“Auckland’s population is projected to grow to two million people by 2035. In order to accommodate this growth, Auckland will require a public transport network that can carry at least 200 million passenger trips annually.

“With road widening opportunities largely limited, increased efficiency of the available road space can best be achieved by increased public transport usage and increased vehicle occupancies. It is in this context that bus and transit lanes are both beneficial and necessary”.

Additional points from the review include:

• Noting a high level of compliance around bus lanes at 97-98% and low levels of infringements, which show the general public in Auckland understand how and why bus lanes operate
• Retaining the current bus lane configuration in Dominion Road and Fanshawe Street
• The current T3 lane configuration is retained in Onewa Road
• The bus lane in Tamaki Drive is permanently changed to T2 lane configuration

Grafton Bridge is separated out for special case treatment, given the number of infringement notices issued in comparison to other bus lanes. The review concludes that there is sufficient signage in place on the bridge but simplification of signage using different mediums could be beneficial. Options include electronic signage, larger lane signage and work with GPS navigational suppliers to ensure devices preclude entry to Grafton Bridge from 7am to 7pm. Work on Grafton Bridge will be completed by September this year.

Proposed signage and road markings will be trialled by Auckland Transport at four sites, with options including; the use of a solid green line adjacent to the solid white line demarking the bus or transit lane, the use of a 50m indicator arrow and broken lines (double green and white line) to reflect where drivers may cross into the bus or transit lane in order to execute a turning manoeuvre and the use of a symbol-oriented sign to replace otherwise wordy signage (see image attached)

The plan will be implemented by Auckland Transport by the end of next year. (The full report can be found on the Auckland Transport website www.aucklandtransport.govtnz)

ENDS

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