Taxi drivers, cyclists want to use busway

[rainman]

From RNZ:

Auckland taxi drivers and cyclists want to use a new busway beside the northern motorway on the North Shore in Auckland.

The six-kilometre busway was tested for the first time on Monday in rush-hour traffic from Constellation Drive to the Auckland harbour bridge. But taxis and bicycles are not allowed to use it.

The Taxi Federation says it made a submission for taxis to be allowed to use the busway, but was unsuccessful.

Executive director Tim Reddish says many people with special needs use taxis because buses are not a viable option.

Cycle Action Auckland has long advocated for designated cycle lanes to get to and from the North Shore.

Chairman Bevan Woodward hopes funding will instead allow a trial of bus racks installed on the buses.

Transit New Zealand says it will review operation of the busway to see whether there should be any changes to the rules governing which vehicles are permitted to use it.

The $300 million busway was officially opened on Saturday and became fully operational on Sunday.

About 70 buses an hour travel on the busway to the Auckland CBD during peak times.

Passengers can get on or off at four stations - with a park-and-ride station at Constellation Drive.

The Auckland Regional Council believes it will entice more commuters onto public transport. It's predicted that it will take over 2000 vehicles off the northern motorway during rush-hour.

And once again no mention of motorcycles, which would be far more practical to share the buslane than pushbikes. I'm assuming they didn't even bother to phone BRONZ for comment.

Contact address is news@radionz.co.nz if you want to email them a (calm, rational, and reasoned, of course) response to their poor reporting!

[steved]

I agree that taxi drivers have zero case. Assuming that the bus lanes don't have much space on the side, then bicycles would be dangerous on the bus-way.

Motorbikes don't need it with the ability to filter. The northern motorway is reasonably wide yeah?

[Cruisin' Craig]

The police have been granted permission to use it on priority one jobs, the inspector told everyone this week. My boss is ringing transit tomorrow about us using it for priority one jobs as well. Will be a big time saver for us in peak hour. Taxi drivers can fuck off, i hate those terrorists of the streets, and as for cyclists, when those whinging cunts stop for red lights and start obeying the traffic rules (we are road users too.. bullshit) then maybe they can be considered, otherwise they can fuck off too.

I agree about the Taxi's. They're just wanting things to be more efficient for them so they can make more money, as opposed to their suggestion having anything to do with increasing the efficiency of our roads.

On the other hand, more people on bicycles means less traffic congestion, less parking difficulties, less pollution, less global warming and longer before we hit peak oil. I say we should be making cycling as attractive as possible as a form of transport. Also it can be a big safety advantage to separate them from the normal flow of traffic. If it is safe to do so, I think they should be able to use the new busway.

[rainman]

Motorbikes don't need it with the ability to filter. The northern motorway is reasonably wide yeah?

Yeah, but filtering/splitting being legally questionable under some circumstances (don't want to start another debate on this - plenty on here already), it would be a nice option and probably safer too.

[jafar]

What a waste of $300 million, you still have to get all that traffic over the car strangled spanner & with a maximum of 5 lanes open during rush hour your farting against thunder.
When are they going to start on another harbour bridge??
Too little & far to late

[mowgli]

Taxi drivers can fuck off, i hate those terrorists of the streets, and as for cyclists, when those whinging cunts stop for red lights and start obeying the traffic rules (we are road users too.. bullshit) then maybe they can be considered, otherwise they can fuck off too.

+1 cyclists are a menace

[Badcat]

didn't i hear that they said bikes could use it in the proposal stage - then changed their minds?

[swbarnett]

didn't i hear that they said bikes could use it in the proposal stage - then changed their minds?

They've lied to us at every stage. First it was "High occupancy vehicles" including private cars and motorcycles and now nothing. Last I heard was that when it eventually connects with a southern bus way via a dedicated lane on the bridge we might be able to use it (different council or some such political nonsense).

[swbarnett]

+1 cyclists are a menace

I used to commute by bicycle (Mairangi Bay to the CBD) and the menace was cages. The problem is that the racing set think they are a law unto themselves and the animosity this creates is hurled back at everyone on a bike regardless of their behaviour at the time.

I stopped commuting by bicycle when I swore at a teacher that I thought ordered the school crossing signs out when I had passed the diamond. This is how pissed off I was getting with the treatment I was receiving from cages. If the busway was opened to bicycles (if there's room) I might be persuaded to try it again.

[Big Dog]

They've lied to us at every stage. First it was "High occupancy vehicles" including private cars and motorcycles and now nothing. Last I heard was that when it eventually connects with a southern bus way via a dedicated lane on the bridge we might be able to use it (different council or some such political nonsense).

Just another reason I am moving out of this backwater.

[NighthawkNZ:Me]

I believe motocyclists have a zero case for use of the bus lane... and why should they need it... don't believe they should be allowed on a bus lane... same with push bikes and taxis...

[Big Dog]

I believe motocyclists have a zero case for use of the bus lane... and why should they need it... don't believe they should be allowed on a bus lane... same with push bikes and taxis...

Easy to say from Dunedin.

[Number One]

Yeah, but filtering/splitting being legally questionable under some circumstances (don't want to start another debate on this - plenty on here already), it would be a nice option and probably safer too.

+1.

As for Taxis using the lane...that suits me when I'm stuck up that way in a taxi trying to get to the airport to come home...but with all the taxis on the road wouldn't it just end up congested aswell?

[xwhatsit]

I believe motocyclists have a zero case for use of the bus lane... and why should they need it... don't believe they should be allowed on a bus lane... same with push bikes and taxis...

You often seem to have these funny ideas. I remember a similar opinion you put forward about parking on the footpath. As Big Dog says, that's easy to say from Dunedin.


That strip of motorway is relatively easy to split down, it's a modern piece of motorway with nice wide lanes. However, when the traffic is doing 5-10kph, I'm not particularly comfortable doing the 80kph you could do in the bus-way. In addition, the bus-way would in most circumstances be a fair bit safer than splitting anyway. Splitting is safer than remaining in normal lane position in many situations, but riding in normal position when there's no cars around at all is better still.

[more_fasterer]

If taxi's had the right to use it they'd just park up at the bus stations, completely clogging up the flow just like they do outside any bar / restaurant area on a friday night.

There is at present a proposal for a walkway & cycleway to be built under the harbour bridge's main span, IMHO it would be easy to create a cycleway the full length of the northern on the oppsite side from the busway - similar to what is in place on the north-western.

It'd be great for bikes & HOV's to use the busway, but considering how ineffective it's proving for buses, I certainly don't think that'll solve any congestion issues.