Commotion over electric cars in bus lanes

Simon Bridges is being lambasted for failing to consult with councils in favour of sole consultation with New Zealand Transport Agency in his quest to get more Kiwis to purchase electric cars by allowing them to access bus lanes.

And this in the face of documentation from the ministry revealing that he was informed it would be “important to discuss” the measure before making any form of announcement and that councils would probably be uninterested in allowing electric vehicles (EVs) in bus lanes because of the impact on public transport.

So it is no surprise that his announcement that electric cars will be allowed to use bus lanes has met with resistance from councils, with one saying it won’t implement the policy and another considering whether to enforce it.

Bridges remains firm however, saying that government will pass the legislation because it is the single most effective non-financial incentive that can be put in place to increase EV uptake as evident in Norway and California. However, he concedes that ultimately the decision belongs to the transport agency and regional councils and that through changing the legislation councils will have the opportunity to assess whether it is a good option for their region or not.

It should be noted that the incentive has had a negative impact on Norway’s bus networks.

According to Andy Foster of the Wellington City Council and chair on the council’s transport and urban development committee, Wellington has the country’s highest rate of public transport usage and he does not anticipate the city will opt for the change as traffic getting in the way of buses could put timetables out.

According to Mark Hannan, Auckland Council was not consulted and is currently working through the implications of the policy. And Christchurch City Council transport operations manager Steffan Thomas says Christchurch City council supports electric vehicles but account should be taken of the effects these changes could have on desired outcomes via bus lane investment.

The transport agency says it began initial discussions with Auckland Transport to investigate the potential of permitting electric vehicles on the Northern Busway and that it was consulted prior to Bridges’ announcement.

According to Green Party’s Julie Anne Genter, Auckland’s buses are already unreliable and too often stuck behind cars in traffic because of not enough bus lanes. She says government would reduce pollution more effectively if it invested in more reliable and frequent public transport in Auckland.

“Bus lanes are generally very well respected by motorists. If some vehicles start using bus lanes because they are [electric] there is a greater risk that others which are not [electric] will do so too,” she says.

Genter is of the opinion that Bridges hoped the policy would veer attention from a lack of financial incentive and concludes by saying that the plan is

“all back to front”. The Green Party would opt to exempt electric vehicles from fringe benefit tax, a move that would cut at least $8000 from a $40,000 electric car.