No fines issued on South Island's only carpool lane two years after opening
From reporter Carly Gooch:
Motorists have been driving South Island’s only motorway with a designated carpool lane for more than two years – but no fines have been issued to drivers breaking the rules.
That’s because travelling on the Christchurch Northern Corridor (CNC) motorway’s T2 lane has no infringement attached to it – yet.
“At this stage we are not doing any enforcement on the CNC T2 lane”, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency regional relationships director James Caygill said.
The T2 lane, also known as a transit or carpool lane, was implemented just weeks after the new motorway opened in December 2020, and is from the end of the motorway on State Highway 1 south of Woodend to the Cranford St roundabout.
Only vehicles with at least one passenger and motorcyclists are entitled to use the T2 lane (the right-hand lane on the southbound side of the northern corridor) between 6am and 9am on weekdays. Outside those hours, the lane can be used by anyone.
Caygill said Waka Kotahi currently had no cameras in place to enforce the lanes.
“We are working towards getting this technology in place.”
He said in the coming months, research would be carried out on the T2 lane and Waka Kotahi would “let the public know ... how the T2 lanes work and a heads-up on enforcement so people will not be surprised”.
Monitoring showed some drivers were not sticking to the T2 rules, “but when you consider both lanes, the majority of drivers are doing the right thing and obeying the law”, he said.
“Last week there were 1154 vehicles on average in the T2 lane over the three-hour period it was operational (6am to 9pm each weekday). There were 1741 vehicles on average in the other lane over the same time period. Each lane on the motorway should be able to carry about 1000 vehicles per hour without significant congestion.”
At this stage, there was no “significant travel time advantage” in either lane.
“It is also likely that there would be little travel time advantage if the lanes were being enforced.”
Transit lanes, commonplace around the world and in the North Island, will only become more familiar to more South Island travellers.
T2 lanes will also be used on the upgraded Brougham St, SH76 (Sydenham/Addington/Waltham) project currently under way.
These restricted traffic lanes will most likely be active during peak times between 7am to 9am, and 3pm to 6pm for the exclusive use of buses, motorcyclists, and cars with a driver and one or more passenger.
The T2 lanes will run from Spencer St to near Brisbane St eastbound and from east of Colombo St to past Selwyn St westbound. However, the road will be set up so these lanes can be extended if and when needed.
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I am lighter than air, but a hundred people cannot lift me. What am I?
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Poll: Should drivers retake the theory test every 10 years?
Drivers get where they need to go, but sometimes it seems that we are all abiding by different road rules (for example, the varying ways drivers indicate around a roundabout).
Do you think drivers should be required to take a quick driving theory test every 10 years?
Vote in the poll and share any road rules that you've seen bent! 😱
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48% Yes
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50.1% No
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1.9% Other - I'll share below
Hero
“I was born and raised in war. To be honest, those are not good memories.
I really like Iran, and I really miss it, but I couldn’t be myself there. Even though my family didn’t like my decision, I left Iran. I promised myself that I would do whatever I can for all communities, especially for the kids, so they do not have the same experience I had.
I studied software engineering in Iran and left in 2006. I went to Malaysia and stayed in Kuala Lumpur for seven years. I was admitted to Lincoln University to do my PhD here, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the expenses. I requested a scholarship, but they told me I had to be there for six months first. So, I stayed in Malaysia and did my PhD in network security. In December 2013, I came to New Zealand with a work visa.
It took me a while to connect with the Iranian community here. I volunteered with the Multicultural Council, SPCA, and community patrol, and I established the Christchurch Iranian Society in 2017. Before that, I started working on Radio Toranj, the only Farsi-language radio show in New Zealand.
One of the reasons I started organizing cultural events was to showcase Iranian culture. I wanted to show people that we have delicious food, colorful dresses, traditional customs, and our own instruments. My hope was to show people that we are not what you see in the media.
I am working to involve all the communities that celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in the Nowruz festival in March 2025. We want to share this celebration not only with our community but with the public as well. It’s better when it’s shared.
I remember the first time someone from Dunedin called me and asked, Hero, can you help? Something happened, and they keep declining Iranian visa applications. When I heard that, I felt insulted. We are still human, so how can they do that?
Through this journey, I’ve learned a lot. Every single day, people with different cases call me, and I try to share my knowledge and guide them as much as I can.
I have received several awards, including the Christchurch Civic Award and an Award of Recognition for my contributions to the community during the pandemic. In 2021, I established Canterbury Kia Ora Academy, a charitable trust. Through this charity, I can help other communities as well, not just the Iranian community.”
- Hero
View more stories, or nominate someone: @humansofchch
www.humansofchch.org......
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