Auckland City Council announces new bus lane initiatives
23 July 2010
Auckland City Council is investigating measures to achieve better understanding
about bus lanes and reduce the number of people receiving tickets.
This includes looking at signposting areas where bus lanes cameras may be operating.
"Our primary aim is to keep public transport moving, not to make money – it always
has been," says Transport general manager Penny Pirrit. "We would rather increase
the compliance than increase revenue. The winners are the people who use buses,
and in conjunction with ARTA, we are finally enticing more people than ever away
from their cars."
Penny Pirrit says the council has always investigated complaints on a case-by-case
basis and waives tickets where drivers have genuine reasons. In the case of Grafton
Bridge, when the bus lanes were new, up to 30 per cent of tickets were waived.
In addition, drivers are not given a ticket unless they stray into a lane for
more than 55m.
"We've listened to people saying they are not sure how long 50m is," she says.
"We will be looking at the practicality of introducing static signs to advise drivers
that bus lane cameras are in operation – in much the same way as there are signs
for speeding and red-light cameras."
"But these days it's not enough for people to say they didn't know about bus
lanes," she says. “Bus lanes have been around for years, they support our public
transport system, help ease congestion, and the use of them is governed by the Road
User Rule established by the NZTA."
“The vast majority of drivers respect the bus lanes – over the past three years
compliance has not fallen below 98 per cent. Or to say it another way, infringements
have not gone above 2 per cent.”
Penny Pirrit says that bus lanes are essential to Auckland's transport strategy
and while by law the council cannot alter how bus lanes operate, it can ensure people
are treated fairly by reviewing any complaints on a case-by-case basis.
Bus lanes – background:
- Bus lanes play an essential role in reducing Auckland's traffic congestion
by helping buses get where they need to go faster and more efficiently.
- Bus lanes separate buses from other traffic, enabling them to bypass traffic
congestion, reducing conflict between buses, bikes and general traffic. Bus
lanes also mean buses have shorter journey times and can keep to their timetables.
- About 36km of bus lanes have been introduced in Auckland city since 1997
and bus patronage has increased over that time period (as well as additional
services coming online – see below for bus patronage figures).
Bus lanes – the rules:
- The vehicle categories permitted to use bus lanes are
buses, cycles, mopeds and motorcycles. All other vehicles
should only use bus lanes for the purposes of completing a safe turning manoeuvre
or entering and exiting a driveway.
- You may cross a bus lane to make a turn using the minimum length necessary
at the time and using no more than 50 metres. The location of a bus lane camera
is not an indication of the 50-metre mark. This rule was part of the Road User
Rule changes that came into effect on 1 November last year, the same group of
changes that saw handheld mobile phones banned while driving). It is a national
rule, as determined by the NZTA.
Bus lanes – enforcement:
- Over the past three years, compliance has not fallen below 98 per cent –
infringements have not gone above 2 per cent.
- The council’s role is to increase compliance with parking and traffic regulations.
Revenue is a by-product of non-compliance.
- Auckland City Council is committed to keeping cars out of bus lanes, to
ensure bus lanes operate as effectively as possible.
- Enforcement officers can issue infringement notices to vehicles incorrectly
using bus lanes. The enforcement officers have received specialist training
and been certified by the Commissioner of Police.
- On each bus lane, enforcement areas have been set up to monitor compliance.
Each of these enforcement areas has been measured and is more than 50m in length.
If a vehicle is driven through the entire enforcement area, an infringement
notice may be issued.
- The enforcement officers take video footage of each offence. This is secondary
evidence only, as the officer’s observation of the offence is the primary evidence.
Bus lanes – reviewing infringements:
- Auckland City Council seeks to be fair in relation to infringement offences
and, when requested, considers the circumstances in which the infringement notice
was issued. In some cases, the council may choose not to pursue the infringement
any further.
- Council staff take several factors into consideration, including the law,
the impact on other road users, the facts on the infringement notice and the
circumstances outlined in the submission. We also look at supporting documents
such as photographs, witness statements and delivery documents.
Bus lanes – the figures:
Revenue ($m) as of 30 June 2010: this is the net revenue (in $m) delivered to
council from tickets issued in the year in question.
| Year of ticket issue |
WOF/
Registration |
Parking tickets |
Bus lanes |
Total |
| 2007-2008 |
6.2 |
8.0 |
2.5 |
16.7 |
| 2008-2009 |
6.3 |
7.8 |
2.9 |
17.0 |
| 2009-2010 |
4.1 |
5.3 |
3.3 |
12.7 |
NB: this is revenue received to date – receipts continue to come in over next
two to three years.
Parking officer numbers
| Year |
Bus lane officers |
Other officers in the field* |
Total |
| 2006-2007 |
7 |
57 |
63 |
| 2007-2008 |
7 |
58 |
65 |
| 2008-2009 |
9 |
74 |
83 |
| 2009-2010 |
11 |
68 |
79 |
Source: end-July rosters for each year.
* Active officers available for clearway and general parking duties.
There are a small number of officers who work the night shift and Sundays, mainly
in the CBD but also in response to customer requests for service in the suburbs.
There are eight on roster for Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and during Sunday,
and three on roster for the rest of the week. Officers will issue tickets for parking
infringements, and expired warrant of fitness and registration as they come across
them.
Bus patronage:
- Generally, bus lanes significantly increase reliability for buses when they
are first introduced, and, when combined with service frequency increases, large
increases in patronage can result. For example, the Dominion Road patronage
increased by more than 80 per cent from 1997 to 2004 after bus lanes were introduced
in 1997/1998 and services increased over the two-hour morning peak from
25 to 40.
Source: ARTA
