ARC boss attacks bus lane 'gouging'

The council issued 41,169 bus-lane infringement notices worth almost $6.2 million in the year to June. Photo / Dean Purcell.

The head of Auckland's regional council has joined the chorus of criticism of bus lanes, accusing the Auckland City Council of "revenue gouging".

Council chairman Mike Lee said yesterday that a public backlash against bus lanes might undermine support for public transport.

He said he was encouraged that the region's annual public transport use had exceeded 60 million passenger trips for the first time in more than 25 years, but much remained to be done.

The city council's bus-lane policies worried him.

"I believe Auckland City Council has engaged in revenue gouging.

"If bus lanes are used almost as a form of entrapment for revenue raising, it puts the credibility and popularity of public transport in question, and that's bad for everyone.

"What I'm concerned about is a backlash against bus lanes if they're used in a kind of Sheriff of Nottingham way to raise revenue from commuting motorists."

Mr Lee denied suggesting the city council should allow drivers to clutter bus lanes, but said it should improve markings to end confusion about where the lanes began and ended.

Auckland City Mayor John Banks said he did not intend responding to "candidate Lee's politicking", but claimed wide public support for the bus lanes on the basis that 98 per cent of drivers kept out of them.

Mr Lee is campaigning for a seat on the new Super City council, which Mr Banks hopes to lead.

"It's a whole education process," Mr Banks said of the bus lanes. "When I was mayor first time around, you [the Herald] and others were very critical of my roads, roads and roads mantra, and it cost me the election.

"This time, I have a commitment to getting people out of their cars and into public transport where we can, and I am very pleased with the public response."

But he conceded there were problems with bus-lane signs, "which we are addressing".

The council issued 41,169 bus-lane infringement notices worth almost $6.2 million in the year to June.

One went to the chairman of the council's arts, recreation and culture committee, Greg Moyle, who accused the city of "revenue gathering".

A report from the Auckland Regional Transport Authority showed a 3.4 per cent rise in the use of buses, trains and ferries - to 60.6 million boardings - in the year to June.

That followed a 7.7 per cent rise from 54.4 million trips in 2007-08, when high fuel prices prompted many Aucklanders to switch from cars to public transport.

But, although the authority says all public transport modes are enjoying healthy passenger growth, patronage is still well below what is needed.

An authority graph produced last year shows boardings should be up to 70 million by now to meet a target set by the regional transport strategy of 100 million annual trips by 2016.

Mr Lee said much more would need to be done by the new Auckland Council to persuade more people that public transport was a practical alternative to private cars.

He said Auckland had had annual public transport patronage running at more than 100 million trips a year before its tram fleet was taken off the roads in 1956.