20 Viaduct Harbour Avenue, Auckland 1010
Private Bag 92250, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
Phone 09 355 3553
Website www.AT.govt.nz
17 October 2024
Jimmy King
[FYI request #28485 email]
Your request for information under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987
(LGOIMA) -CAS-982797-K9F0Q1
Kia ora Jimmy,
Thank you for your request for information dated 23 September 2024 regarding the Special Vehicle Lane
(SVL) located on Onewa Road.
The importance of Special Vehicle Lanes and its enforcement across Auckland
Due to the high number of vehicles at peak times, Auckland’s roading network operates at capacity.
Travelling by bus allows more people to move around the city. Special Vehicle Lanes (SVL) only assist buses
to travel around the city faster if they are not congested. To ensure that SVL are clear we issue
infringement notices to drivers who use SVL incorrectly to deter this illegal activity. Faster public transport
times will attract more patronage on public transport which will reduce congestion on our roads.
Auckland Council fully supports the Government’s initiatives on Climate Change and Emission Objectives.
To achieve modal shift along arterials and encourage micro mobility as first and last leg travel options will
be one way Auckland Transport is able to meet Climate Change and Emission Objectives.
Efficient corridors and PT journey times will lead to stronger modal shift to Public Transport.
Why were cameras chosen for Onewa road? What were the other options that were not chosen?
From 2018, Auckland Transport (AT) started to rollout the introduction of CCTV cameras to monitor the
SVL’s, increasing its enforcement efforts using technology (CCTV) for enforcement whilst replacing manual
labour. Enforcement of a newly created SVL and the move from manual to CCTV enforcement, does include
a warning period (a minimum 2 weeks) during which all vehicles that incorrectly use the lane are issued
with a Warning Notice.
Onewa Road was chosen as an ideal location to start the rollout of transit lane cameras to increase
compliance which would reduce congestion and increase efficiency of the network.
Alternatively, continuing with manual monitoring is less efficient than using CCTV cameras. This approach
relies heavily on officers to be positioned on the roads, requiring the full team of 18 staff to be deployed
daily to match the monitoring capabilities of CCTV.
The benefits are:
▪ It allows us to monitor more lanes.
▪ It allows us to monitor lanes daily, compared to random monitoring when using officers (dependant on
availability) with manual cameras. For example, a lane which has operating hours of 7-10am & 4-7pm
Mon-Fri has the full 30hrs of monitoring (using CCTV) compared to the manual monitoring of 15hrs per
week.
▪ This increases compliance faster and can maintain compliance through consistency over time. CCTV
enforcement also enables a safer work environment for staff as time spent capturing manual footage
kerbside is eliminated.
Onewa Road has 17 enforcement zones; travelling from Highbury citybound there are 9 enforcement zones
and travelling from the Motorway to Highbury there are 8 enforcement zones. Enforcement went live from
23 May 2022, following a 2-week warning and 1-week stand-down period that took effect on 26 April 2022
How much did it cost in traffic management for that project?
For the cost involved with the traffic management during the installation of CCTV on Onewa Road; the
average cost at the time of installation was $4,800.00 per zone. With 17 zones making up the Onewa Road
corridor, an average cost of $81,600.00 was attributed to the traffic management for the full project.
How much does it cost to operate these cameras per year?
Two parking officers are required for the continuity of operations five days per week. The total cost is
$134,000.00 per year, based on the average officer salary, which to-date reflects $67,000.00.
How many total fines have been given out from when the cameras became operational to 23/09/2024
For the period between 23.5.22 and 23.9.24; a total of 12,452 infringements were issued to vehicles for the
Unauthorised Use of a Special Vehicle Lane on Onewa Road. Refer to the table below for a granular
outtake.
With an average compliance rate sitting at 99.2%, Onewa Road is among the most compliant in Auckland
which shows people are not only complying, but also reinforces the purpose behind the rollout of CCTV
cameras and the success it achieves in compliance.
Dat
Ja
Fe
Ma
Ap
Ma
Ju
Au
Se
Oc
No
De
Tot
SVL
Jul
e
n
b
r
r
y
n
g
p
t
v
c
al
202
Onewa Road (All
34
26
39
49
40
61
42
301
74
2
Zones)
4
9
4
2
0
1
7
1
202
Onewa Road (All
34
57
44
36
32
50
44
44
56
47
584
861
494
3
Zones)
7
6
7
4
0
8
2
9
7
3
8
202
Onewa Road (All
47
39
43
27
37
55
35
359
352
381
4
Zones)
1
7
9
1
2
2
8
3
When there was no cameras and there were people having cameras manually, how much did it cost per
year to have those camera operators?
Before the introduction of CCTV cameras on Onewa Road, three parking officers were required to manually
monitor the SVL. Salaries prior to 23 May 2022 (rollout of live CCTV enforcement) had an average of
$62,000.00 per officer thus the costs associated per year for three officers is $186,000.00.
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How much is maintenance to these cameras so far?
In the event of unforeseen physical and/or technical issues such as environmental factors (i.e., a vehicle
colliding with the poles in which the CCTV cameras are installed upon); the costs associated with this
reactive maintenance average $1500.00 per month, which includes all 17 zones within the Onewa Road
corridor, with the addition of a 6-monthly and annual general maintenance check-up.
I understand if this is not possible, but could I potentially get the names of the people who were in
charge of that project?
The project was completed with the approval from the Group Manager of Parking Services & Compliance,
John Strawbridge and the Head of Transport and Parking Compliance, Rick Bidgood. The work was
completed by CSLi (CSL Infrastructure).
Should you believe that we have not dealt with your request appropriately, you are able to make a
complaint to the Office of the Ombudsman in accordance with section 27(3) of the LGOIMA Act and seek an
investigation and review regarding this matter.
Kind regards
John Strawbridge
Group Manager, Parking Services & Compliance
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