The New Zealand Transport Agency monitors the southbound lane into the city – which is reserved for cars containing at least one passenger between 6am and 9am on weekdays – although police are also concerned about how motorists are utilising the motorway.
“One issue we’re seeing is heavy vehicles have a 90km/h limit so technically there’s no overtaking them unless you meet the requirements to enter that T2 lane,” said Canterbury road policing manager Greg Cottam.
“That’s one of the areas that could cause frustration, impatience and ultimately a crash.
“If you’re stuck behind a big truck for a few ks, it’s only going to add a couple of minutes to your journey and you’ve already saved that by not going through the Main North Rd, Redwood, and the like.”
Meanwhile, NZTA has installed cameras to check vehicles in the T2 lane are carrying passengers when the restrictions are in force.
“We recognise that T2 lanes are new to the region and so we will be giving people time to get used to the lanes,” a spokesperson said.
“Then we’ll monitor the lanes to see how well people are sticking to the rules, there will be more targeted information and warnings, fines will be the final stage.”
Meanwhile, Cottam also reminded motorists to stick to the speed limit on the likes of Marshland Rd and Main North Rd, where traffic volumes are now lighter.
"Historically, where volumes drop we see speed come up. We will be focusing on those areas to see what the traffic behaviour is. With everyone coming back from holiday we want to make sure they're not too relaxed and the speed's creeping up," he said.
