Auckland Harbour Bridge: Viral video shows driver struggling in narrow lane

The driver struggled to stay in his lane.

Video showing one driver’s slow-speed struggle across the Auckland Harbour Bridge has gone viral, showing him leaving his narrow lane and striking a barrier as a following truck driver films his painful progress.

Thousands of Kiwis cross the bridge every day and have to navigate its dynamic lanes that shift to accommodate changing traffic flows, often creating single lanes bordered by concrete barriers.

It was in one of these narrow lanes that the driver, heading south on the bridge, ran into trouble.

As the truckie films from behind, the driver repeatedly strikes the yellow flexible bollards that line the lane on his left, seemingly keeping as far from the concrete barrier on his right as possible.

This tactic seems to be working for the driver, who is travelling much slower than passing traffic - until he meets a concrete barrier on his left, grinding against it until he comes to a stop.

A commenter on the original TikTok video asked the truck driver if the struggling motorist was suffering from a medical event, to which he replied that the issue was more mental.

“Nah he was ok,” he replied. “He said he was nervous.”

Other drivers commented to admit that they also sometimes felt intimated by the narrow lanes, with one saying: “It is really scary being so close to that wall on the right.”

A Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency spokesperson told the Herald that they always encourage people to stay within their lane on the Auckland Harbour Bridge, adding that drivers who are not comfortable driving across the bridge should instead use the Western Ring Route via SH16.

In a statement to the Herald, a police spokesperson said they had spoken to the driver and explained the driver’s actions.

“This driving incident had not been reported to Police, so we do not know when it occurred. We have spoken to the driver of the car, who believes he has done nothing wrong, they said.

“The driver is an elderly man, who drives over the Auckland Harbour Bridge at least once a month. On this occasion, we feel one of his tyres has become a little tangled up with the medium barrier which has confused him, and he hasn’t done enough to correct his vehicle. That is why he has slowed down.

“It is a timely reminder for people who witness questionable driving on our roads, to please report it to us on *555 as soon as possible.”

The clip is just the latest video of bizarre bridge behaviour to go viral online.

Previous incidents have seen a woman twerking on the bridge and a photographer hanging out of the boot of a moving car to get the perfect shot.

Late social media star Johnny Danger made some of his earliest headlines with his own bridge antics, car surfing atop a taxi as it crossed the bridge.