Subscribe to RSSARC Oppose Dom Rd T2 Plan
The ARC’s transport & urban development committee will next week consider opposing the Auckland City’s plans to allow cars with 2 or more occupants to use the Dominion Rd bus lanes.
A report to the committee from its officers recommends that the bus lane there is a bus lane only 24 hours each day.
The report argues that to allow more cars to use the lane is likely to reduce the benefits to buses, and to make the situation more confusing and more difficult to enforce.
“There will be high volumes of buses using the lane. Because of the number of property accesses and side roads, there will also be a relatively large number of vehicles using the lane for short distances in order to turn on to and off of Dominion Road occupants to use the bus lane.
“Given that the bus lane is not needed for parking, it is much simpler for people to understand the operation of the bus lane, and easier for the bus lane to be sign posted and enforced, if operation is consistent 24 hours each day.
Dominion Rd is heavily used
The meeting will discuss recommendations to tell the Auckland City Council:
- It generally supports the proposals to improve conditions for bus users and cyclists on Dominion Road, and encourages Auckland City Council to continue to progress these initiatives
- opposes the proposal to allow cars with 2 or more occupants to use the bus lane
- supports the proposal to provide a separate lane for cyclists on midblock sections of the bus lane
- supports the proposal to remove parking from Dominion Road over the length of the bus lane
- supports the proposal that the bus lane operate 24 hours each day
At the b-line launch a few weeks back, ARC Chair Mike Lee called the Auckland City plan a retrograde step.
He said encouraging bus travel required lateral thinking and thinking outside the square. He said if Auckland City “really has a problem with bus lanes on the side of the road, then its time we gave serious thought to putting bus lanes down the middle of the road.
1 Comments
62 side roads? Jeez, never thought about it that way - it does put the lost car parks into context. That’s eight car parks more in each street if one tried to make it up 1:1. Knowing how wide many of the side streets are, angle parking could probably make up for a whole big part of the lost parks, and for the rest - you don’t make an omelette without breaking at least *some* eggs.
Being Auckland, they will jump through the highest hoops to retain or replace as much car parks as possible anyway.
As for the general comment - great that ARC is so clearly opposing it. Though it will all be moot anyway until we know the makeup of our first Auckland Council. They will be so crucial in influencing how our future will look like it’s not funny.