Limey! Electric scooter rider creeps over Auckland Harbour Bridge

A motorist couldn't believe his eyes last night as he drove past a person attempting to ride a Lime e-scooter over the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

The rider was heading northbound about 6.45pm and was shielded by a ute behind him with its hazard lights on, forcing traffic behind them down to a slow trundle.

Meanwhile, police received numerous reports about the scooter rider but after a search were unable to find him.

The motorist, who was bound for Northcote Pt, said traffic in the two left-hand lanes before the bridge was slow moving, while the other lanes were free-flowing.

"I thought, 'what is going on here'," he told the Herald.

"I came up a little closer and saw the ute had his hazard lights on and thought he'd broken down but no, he was protecting [the rider].

The ute was shielding the scooter rider. Photo / Supplied

"He was slowing traffic down behind him and protecting the guy going up the bridge, only for that guy there could have been an accident, very easily."

The motorist didn't report the incident to police but said as he drove away he noticed flashing lights from a police car behind him.

A police spokeswoman confirmed to the Herald they received several reports relating to a person riding a scooter over the bridge.

"We have undertaken an extensive area search and spoken to people in the area the person was last seen but are yet to locate anybody," she said.

Another motorist told the Herald she saw someone walking up the Harbour Bridge around 7pm who appeared to be the same person.

She said there was no Lime scooter in sight and the lane had been emptied apart from one vehicle but she wasn't sure if it was the ute in the video.

Back in December a man was caught green-handed by witnesses as he headed north over the bridge.

Police said officers rushed to the scene and moved both man and scooter off the bridge to a safe area and had "discussions" with the offender.

Police confirmed it was illegal to ride electric scooters on the Harbour Bridge.