Electric vehicles in bus lanes "short sighted"

Thursday, 5 May 2016, 4:00 pm
Press Release: Generation Zero

Generation Zero calls electric vehicles in bus lanes short sighted

Youth, transport, and climate change lobby group Generation Zero is greatly disappointed in the government's announcement of an electric vehicles policy which allows cars to use bus only lanes.

“This is a disappointing and short sighted policy from the government” Says Generation Zero Auckland Director Leroy Beckett “It will only serve to increase congestion and carbon emissions.”

“If the government really see electric vehicles as the way to reduce our emissions, this is not the way to encourage the widespread adoption needed to make a difference”

Generation Zero released a report Friday titled “A Better Bus Network for Auckland: the case for urgent attention to the city's bus network’ which recommends an increase in the amount of bus lanes in the city to improve the reliability of the bus service.

“The reason we have bus lanes is to provide an unimpeded journey for people travelling by public transport. It seems like we shouldn’t have to remind the minister of transport of that”

According to Auckland Transport buses make up 2.5% of vehicles but carry nearly a third of commuters into the city. Busway station data shows 4.5 million trips were made along the northern busway in 2015. This policy would allow electric vehicles to use that busway.

“If this policy is successful and leads to an increase in electric cars, it will be a disaster for the public transport networks around the country. Bus lanes work because they don’t have cars in them.”

“Allowing cars into the bus lanes also provides a threat to the safety of people riding bikes, who use bus lanes as a defacto cycle lane when there is no safer alternative”

ENDS

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