Electric vehicle Auckland special lanes trial hailed a success

A controversial trial allowing electric vehicles to access five Auckland special vehicle lanes has been hailed as a success overall by its proponent, the NZ Transport Agency.

The 14-day trial in March provided a “greater understanding of operational requirements” as well as “qualitative information relating to the value of the incentive to electric vehicle drivers”, the agency says.

Trial feedback indicates most respondents (94%) would use additional special vehicle lanes long-term.

The lanes in the trial are normally reserved for buses, trucks and high-occupancy vehicles (at least two people). That prompted Auckland mayor Phil Goff and Auckland Transport (AT) to note some concerns about adding additional vehicles to bus lanes.

AT doesn’t support allowing EVs in bus lanes. However, AT does support testing EVs on its T2 and T3 lanes for a year once the necessary legislation and rules are in force, subject to additional funding from central government.

The government hopes by July 1 to have rules giving local bodies discretion to allow EVs in special lanes.

Meanwhile, the NZTA says information packs were sent to 978 participants to gauge EV trial feedback. Only about 68 of those participants responded.

About 70% of the respondents used the specified priority lanes during the trial – the other 30% mainly saying the designated lanes were not on their usual commute.

Most (78%) felt the lanes improved their journey times from “slightly” to “considerably”.

Social media feedback was monitored as well, showing calls for blanket acceptance of EVs using T2 lanes but not bus lanes, that public transport should have priority, that it “won’t reduce traffic congestion” and that “it’s a benefit for the rich” who can afford EVs.

Some Facebook comments came from EV owners on Auckland’s North Shore, saying they would like to have participated in the trial but no lanes were available to them.

The NZTA says survey responses show little or no impact on other road users and that EV participants often noted other vehicles that were not entitled to be in those lanes.

The agency says the trial objectives were to test the concept of EVs in special vehicle lanes and to test the impact on other road users.