Auckland traffic: Meditating motorist reveals why he blocked motorway

A driver allegedly parked his car in the middle lane of Auckland's State Highway 1 and meditated on the roof. Photo / Supplied

The man responsible for blocking traffic on Auckland’s Southern Motorway when he stopped his car on the motorway and meditated on the roof has revealed to the Herald why he pulled the stunt.

Police would be considering “serious” driving-related charges over the incident, a spokeswoman said, and the man responsible has told the Herald he was prepared for the consequences.

Police responded to reports of a vehicle stopped on the motorway about 1pm where the occupant was sitting on the roof, but “upon police arrival, the occupant had left the area”, the spokeswoman said.

“We are very concerned about the danger posed to the individual and other road users, as well as the congestion it caused on a busy stretch of motorway,” she said.

The man told the Herald he took full responsibility for his actions and would “be seeing police tomorrow”.

“I did this to raise awareness of all the people who have lost their lives on the road,” he said, saying he accepted he had disrupted traffic and put himself at risk.

The man was seen parking a 2009 Nissan GT-R northbound on State Highway 1′s middle lane near Highbrook, blocking traffic.

A witness told the Herald a man was “sitting there meditating like a monk”.

The witness managed to briefly speak to the driver, asking what was going on. The man allegedly claimed to be staging a protest against Waka Kotahi NZTA’s Road to Zero policy.

A man parked his car in the middle of State Highway 1 and began meditating on the roof, allegedly as a protest to NZTA's Road to Zero campaign. Photo / Supplied

The witness described the incident as “wild” and said it caused a lot of disruption to traffic.

“Man that was wild. Traffic was just shocking. It built up. This guy has a screw loose or something.

“It’s the most unusual thing I’ve seen in a long time.”

The man responsible told the Herald: “I am a young Kiwi who had lost friends to horrific car accidents and ... I see NZTA spend millions, now billions, on road safety to get our road death toll to zero.”

He said he was protesting the campaign and had his own alternate ideas.

NZTA’s Road to Zero campaign hopes to reach a goal where New Zealand has zero deaths and serious injuries on our roads.

NZTA’s vision, according to its website, is that Kiwis can travel and reach their destination safely through numerous transport modes such as driving, walking, cycling, motorcycling or taking public transport.