Traffic ahead was gridlocked, but the rogue vehicles entered the service road without colliding with any cars already in the lanes.
Police were aware of the footage and condemned the motorists' actions as “extremely dangerous”. Their driving could have caused further crashes and hurt those involved, a spokesperson said. Police urged motorists “to do the right thing and not cause further risk to themselves or others”.
A separate video sent to the Herald shows the incident that the drivers were trying to avoid: a stationary white BMW on the Southwestern Motorway with flames leaping out of it.
The fire engulfed the entire front half of the vehicle, blazing out of the driver’s seat and causing the car’s bumper to come apart as smoke rose high across the motorway.
Footage of drivers lurching across motorway medians garnered close to 15,000 views on TikTok, where users appeared to be bemused by people’s actions.
“All it takes is one, everyone else will follow,” one user said.
Another defended the motorists improvising in busy Auckland traffic.
“Our road rules don’t make sense, [you] gotta go by your own rules sometimes.”
One Reddit user concluded that Auckland drivers were the “worst in the world”.
During the car fire, the northbound lanes on the Southwestern Motorway between Massey Rd and the SH20A interchange had to be closed.
Last night, New Zealand Transport Agency Waka Kotahi issued an alert at 6.25pm urging motorists to expect delays and consider alternative routes.
No injuries were reported and traffic management was in place during the closure, which was lifted by 7.25pm.
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