Last year, not long before the Super City election, there was an enormous campaign by the NZ Herald to demonise Auckland’s bus lanes. This grew from a relatively small debate over how clear signage was showing where bus lanes began and ended, to a huge campaign that demonised the mere mention of enforcing bus lanes by fining vehicles found driving in them. Over the past few months, thankfully things began to settle down. As I’ve said many times before, if Auckland wants to significantly improve its public transport system at low cost and quickly, probably the most effective thing we could do is dramatically expand the bus lane system. But it seems the Herald can’t resist going back for another go at bashing the bus lanes – as seen in an article in yesterday’s paper:
The number of motorists being issued bus-lane fines in Auckland has more than doubled since December, rising at least 25 per cent every month this year. The council issued $1.96 million worth of bus-lane tickets in the six months from October – despite Mayor Len Brown saying he would not use bus lanes for revenue gathering.
I would think that a major reason for an increase in fines over the first few months of the year might be similar to the reasons for the increase in public transport patronage and general traffic numbers over those same months. That is, people return to school, university and so forth – so the streets become a lot busier in March than they were in January. Not really rocket science. Data from Auckland Transport on the number of fines shows that the number of tickets in recent months is well below the same months last year:
Even though the $2 million collected from bus lane tickets over the past six months is a tiny fraction of the council’s budget, the NZ Herald remains convinced that the reason for enforcing use of the bus lanes is to raise money, rather than to keep them free of cars:
Last night, Mr Brown said his commitment on such fines was clear – “they are not to be used to achieve revenue targets and they are not the best way to educate motorists”. The mayor has asked Auckland Transport for a briefing on the level of the fines, and progress on work to improve bus and high-occupancy-vehicle lanes throughout the region. The figures from March show that more than 93 motorists were ticketed every day – a total of 2907 tickets worth $436,000, up almost $60,000 compared to March 2010. If ticketing continues at this rate, the Super City will have imposed more than $4.5 million worth of bus-lane fines in its first 12 months of existence, exceeding the $4.2 million to last July that sparked a flood of outraged reaction to the Herald.
I don’t know how they do their maths, but the graph above shows that it’s incredibly unlikely for the 2011 totals to exceed the 2010 totals. I think it would be helpful in this debate to see whether the issue is how clearly signposted the bus lanes are (this was how the debate started last year) or whether it’s just a general distaste for bus lanes that someone working at the Herald obviously has. Perhaps Auckland Transport could encourage people to highlight parts of the bus lanes network they think aren’t clearly signposted – and then action those. Auckland Transport could also outline how important bus lanes are by quoting some figures about how well they’re used: how well over half of all people travelling along key corridors like Dominion Road, Onewa Road and Khyber Pass Road at peak times are on the bus.
I tend to think that most people are reasonable, and if they understood more clearly why we need to keep that bus lane “looking” relatively empty they might not try to get away with using them quite so often. I also think it would be healthy if the debate shifted towards how we can make signage clearer, rather than about whether bus lanes enforcement is a money-making activity. I would prefer that no money was made from bus lane enforcement, because that would mean nobody would be driving in the bus lanes. Everyone would be happy then: the drivers, Auckland Transport and most particularly the bus passengers.
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In general the article seemed to take the line that the whole thing is a revenue gathering mechanism. However it did refer to those using the lane illegally as ‘cheaters’, so I’m not really sure what the point is. The lane they ‘monitored’ is about as clear as you could make it without going back to the old style paint the road green lanes. Given they noted that many of the offenders started using the lane after the camera it is reasonably clear the offenders know what they are doing.
What happened to the old ‘lack of knowledge of the law is no defense’ anyway?
Even though the $2 million collected from bus lane tickets over the past six months is a tiny fraction of the council’s budget, the NZ Herald remains convinced that the reason for enforcing use of the bus lanes is to raise money, rather than to keep them free of cars
Well if the Herald does not like fines (they are really simple though), what is the Herald’s alternative punishment then? Should we bring back public stocks and rotten tomato throwing for bus lane violators? What about simply impounding the car for a month. Would that help.
I’m guessing this is just another “fluff” piece using the same old tricks- just make your readers outraged and feel like the government is on a witchunt against them.
“what is the Herald’s alternative punishment then” perhaps this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpkGvr2q3xw
Personally I think the point where a bus lane turns into a left turning lane needs to be clarified with a physical lane barrier such as this: http://www.titan-eko.com/download/BLD%20leaflet.pdf
– Outside my place (Anzac ave) cars often form a really long line in the bus lane waiting to turn left onto customs street. This causes major delays for buses trying to get to britomart of the start of there peak hour runs. I believe a physically defined point where motorists can merge left would prevent the queuing in the bus lane.
Btw why don’t we use unmanned systems to collect evidence of enforcements. All those officers must be expensive and there spread is limited. Cameras mounted in buses seem to have been politically attractive overseas.
Personally I still think the council should paint a green line across the bus lane every 10 metres. If you cross 5 or more lines you get fined, simple to enforce, simple to understand. This will also stop people demanding signs 50 metres out from intersections. Auckland street’s have far to many signs already.
Perhaps AT should start looking at moving bus lanes into the middle of roads, this removes the issue of cars turning left from buslanes, and cars can instead be slowed down by all the people exiting the buses walking across their lane. Has been discussed many a time before on this forum, but how about AT uses Albert Street as a new model for how innercity busways can be done.
Lisbon has this on many bus routes (largely as a function of now defunct tram routes). Bus stops are on traffic islands, and the cars have to detour out toward the foodpath (over a pedestrian crossing to get to the traffic island). Works quite nicely as a road calming measure as well. Also gives the bus effective right of way when leaving the stop, as the cars often have to move back into the traffic at a fairly acute angle.
Hi all. Auckland Transport is looking at how we might better identify the lanes. But interesting to note a recent survey conducted by Gravitas (an independent research company) shows that 97% of Auckland drivers are aware of the lanes and the rules relating to them. So infringement notices are only issued to a very small percentage of people…..Either that or they are aware and take the chance anyway!!!
It could be that a marketing campaign explaining how buslanes are effective at reducing congestion would help get more drivers on side with them. It seems there are a hardcore of entitled drivers who resent any restriction of what they see as their given right to the whole road so it seems they need some explanation….
I saw someone drive all the way from Wynyard Street to K Road along the Symonds Street buslanes. That’s over 200 metres.
I’d suggest you put out a press release with that research. If people already know and choose to break the rules anyway, then that is their own damn fault.
I agree that AT need to actually get out into the public and talk about how important it is for bus lanes with things like:
How it it makes buses more efficient which means less buses are needed to provide the same level of service and that it means less subsidies etc.
How bus lanes look empty but that they are often carrying more people than the general traffic lane
How it allows more people to get into places like the CBD which means the region can support more jobs
I was issued with $600 worth of fines for using the bus laneon Dominion Rd for less than 50 m turning left where there is a free turn onto Balmoral Rd.
When I wrote in I was informed that you aren’t allowed to travel in the bus lane at all as there is another 50m to the intersection after the bus lane ends. So someone wanting to alleviate congestion by turning where it is safe and they are in no-ones way they get fined. I love bus lanes, I think they’re great. But I think they should only exist in the CBD, and all arterial roads into the city should be transit lanes. I should not have to sit in a sea of carcinogenic emissions with my innocent children while there is an empty lane to the left of me that no-one is using.
If there were more buses, better cross-toen services, I wouldn’t drive at all. The air quality in Auckland is atrocious. But bus lanes aren’t helping anybody right now. Parking should be removed from certain stretches of Mt Eden Rd, Dominion Rd, and Gillies Ave to name a few, and transit lanes put in place to make bus travel faster. For now there simply aren’t enough buses on the road to warrant the pollution inflicted on pedestrians from gridlocked traffic.
I thought the law says you can travel in the bus lane for 50m. Regarding more buses, couldn’t agree more though Dominion Road’s service is pretty world class with a bus every 5 min for most of the day.
I do agree that parts of bus lanes that cars can use should be more clearly marked – especially when you arent allowed to use them at all… this specific issue would of course be alleviated if the lane went right to Balmoral Road.
Regarding Making all suburban bus lanes Transit lanes, it would have a very negative effect in places such as Dominion Road. Here, just about everyone going into the CBD, regardless of demographics or purpose, catches the bus. Why? Because it’s convenient (bus every 1 to 5 minutes 10 hours per day), and it’s the fastest form of transport by about 300% at peak times. Buses carry the majority of people on Dominion road during peak hours… And that statistic is from before the massive patronage increases of the past year.
If it was a transit lane, buses would obviously be somewhat slower having to share their lane(especially at intersections where they would have to queue), so the bus would be less attractive to its users- many of whom come from ‘fragile’ demographics who would change their mode of transport at the drop of a hat. My mother for example, used to always taxi into and out of the city for meetings- the $50 cost of such a trip didn’t phase her… It was the best form of transport and she paid whatever she had to for it. Recently, she has been catching the bus instead- due to heavier car traffic and improved timetables it is now significantly faster and more convenient than a taxi. If her taxi got the same level of priority as buses, she would be strait back in it- along with numerous others who could then compete with buses by using cars.
Overall, that’s a lot more traffic on Dominion Road- everyone goes slower and all routes leading to/ from Dominion Road get more congested too. THEN bus frequencies are reduced as so many have ditched them.
We can’t forget how fragile maintaining a bus modeshare this high is…if we get it wrong thats a lot of potential cars on an already overcapacity route and a lot of those passengers are particuarly fussy and have other options…Buses must keep priority
isn’t that huge peak in there related to the re-opening of Grafton Bridge? I seem to remember that led to a dramatic increase in bus ticketing for a time…
I don’t understand why some bus lanes are so only during peak hours. It’s confusing to have to read the times and days of enforcement. Better leave them bus lanes 24h, anyway you’d only use them during peak time. And most of the drivers stay away form them anyway. Especially fore those 20 m of bus lanes in khyber pass rd direction broadway under the motorway
I agree, keep it simple and privilege mass transit at all times, off peak these lanes aren’t needed for general traffic and it helps get all road users into the habit of keeping to their dedicated spaces
Most bus lanes are used for parking rather than general traffic during off peak hours.