When he went back to look at the lane, he said he found signs twisted in the wrong direction and the green paint, often used to indicate a bus or cycle lane, worn and peeling in places. It's so hard to know where the bus lane starts and ends." He was shocked when a fine arrived in the mail a few weeks later. Previously, the bus lane had only operated during weekdays. He didn't think anything of it at the time. He shifted into the left-turning lane and thinks he travelled about 70 metres in the bus lane. He said the streets were quiet, with no buses in sight. In 2020, Damien Christie treated his children to a weekend morning show of the Sonic the Hedgehog movie. Motorists stung by fines have previously questioned the effectiveness of the signage on the bus lane. "As a result, Aucklanders have spent the past couple of years taking an increased number of trips in their cars when they would have previously travelled on public transport, although this trend has started to reverse in recent weeks."Īlmost 29,000 vehicles were issued fines for driving more than 50 metres in this bus lane during 2021 Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly Habits changing due to Covid-19, were also a reason. He said extending the bus lane operating hours, and the use of automated cameras had played a part in the increased number of fines generated. "Faster public transport times will attract more patronage on public transport which will reduce congestion on our roads." "Travelling by bus allows more people to move around the city," he said.
The number of fines issued in 2021 was three times more than were reportedly issued in the same stretch for the 12 month period from November 2016 to 2017.ĭriving in a bus lane is illegal, said Auckland Transport's group manager of parking services, John Strawbridge. Something's not right and it needs to be looked at." This worked out to almost $12,000 worth of fines per day.ĪA's policy director Martin Glynn called the figure "huge".
Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-FarrellyĪlmost 29,000 fines of $150 were issued, due to people driving more than 50 metres in the Khyber Pass Road bus lane.
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