Transit lanes
Encyclopedia
Transit lanes are lanes on roadways in Australia
and New Zealand
set aside for vehicles with two or more passengers. Taxis, emergency vehicles and motorcycles can also use the lanes in most cases. They are "also known as T2 or T3 lanes", after the minimum number of passengers required to drive a private vehicle in the transit lane (two or three persons, respectively). They are provided to encourage drivers to car-pool or ride-share, thereby reducing the number of vehicles using a road during peak times.
, Australia road network includes:
In Melbourne
, Australia, they are primarily used on freeways including:
There is also a transit lane northbound on Hoddle Street linking the city to start of the Eastern Freeway.
Transit lanes are also in operation in Brisbane
, on several arterials and on the Pacific Motorway
(M1).
, New Zealand
, there are several locations of transit lanes throughout the region. On Auckland's Northern
, Southern
and Northwestern motorways, some onramps which operate with ramp signals, have T2 lanes which bypass the ramp signals. Transit lane locations include:
Auckland City
North Shore City
Creation of space for Transit Lanes on an existing road may involve removal of a shoulder or bike lane that was set aside for use by cyclists.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
set aside for vehicles with two or more passengers. Taxis, emergency vehicles and motorcycles can also use the lanes in most cases. They are "also known as T2 or T3 lanes", after the minimum number of passengers required to drive a private vehicle in the transit lane (two or three persons, respectively). They are provided to encourage drivers to car-pool or ride-share, thereby reducing the number of vehicles using a road during peak times.
Australia
The current network of transit lanes in the SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia road network includes:
- Anzac Parade
- The Pacific Highway
- Spit Road
- Epping Road
- Victoria Road
- Great Western Highway
- Pacific Highway
- Military Road
- Windsor Road
- Burnt Bridge Creek Deviation
- M4 Motorway
In Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia, they are primarily used on freeways including:
- Tullamarine Freeway (CityLinkCityLinkCityLink is a system of tolled urban Highways in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The company Transurban was awarded the contract to augment two existing freeways and construct two new Toll roads—labelled the Western and Southern Links—directly linking a number of existing freeways to...
sections) - Eastern Freeway (until Bulleen Road)
There is also a transit lane northbound on Hoddle Street linking the city to start of the Eastern Freeway.
Transit lanes are also in operation in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, on several arterials and on the Pacific Motorway
Pacific Motorway
The Pacific Motorway is a 100 km long motorway in Australia between Brisbane, Queensland, and the New South Wales-Queensland border at Tweed Heads. The motorway starts at Coronation Drive at Milton in Brisbane, and from 2008 links the Tweed Heads bypass in New South Wales...
(M1).
New Zealand
In AucklandAuckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, there are several locations of transit lanes throughout the region. On Auckland's Northern
Auckland Northern Motorway
The Auckland Northern Motorway is a major motorway in the Auckland Region of New Zealand, linking central Auckland City and Puhoi in the Rodney District, via the Hibiscus Coast and North Shore...
, Southern
Auckland Southern Motorway
The Auckland Southern Motorway is the major route south out of the Auckland Region of New Zealand. It is part of State Highway 1....
and Northwestern motorways, some onramps which operate with ramp signals, have T2 lanes which bypass the ramp signals. Transit lane locations include:
Auckland City
- Tamaki Drive, T2 Lane - on a 12-month trial from 30 November 2009.
North Shore City
- Akoranga Drive, T2 Lane
- Constellation Drive, T2 Lane
- Shakespeare Road, T2 Lane
- Onewa Road, T3 Lane
- Forrest Hill Road, T2 Lane
- East Coast Road, T2 Lane
- Lake Road, T3 Lane (Connects to Onewa Road)
Criticism
Transit lanes are said to be abused by drivers in that they are rarely used by cars with two or more passengers. This could be due to lack of policing of the lanes. This action is not isolated to Australia.Creation of space for Transit Lanes on an existing road may involve removal of a shoulder or bike lane that was set aside for use by cyclists.