John MacDonald: I support the truckies saying 'us too in the T2'

“It’s like making a silk purse out of a pig’s ear.”   

That’s a quote from the boss at Transporting New Zealand, which represents the transport sector, talking about Brougham Street in Christchurch.  

Because it’s been revealed by NZTA that the $150 million revamp of Brougham Street, one of Christchurch’s busiest streets, will include T2 transit lanes – which the truckies are brassed-off about because they won’t be able to use them.  

And I’m with the truckies. I think it’s nuts that on a street like Brougham Street —which is a pig’s ear of a road if ever there was one— we’re going to go all “rules are rules” on it and not do something that I think would make a genuine difference.  

As the truckies do as well.  

So these transit lanes, or T2 lanes, can only be used by vehicles carrying more than one person. They’ve been on the Northern Motorway since 2021. There is a stretch of T2 that trucks can use there, on the Tram Road on-ramp near the Waimakariri Bridge.   

It's probably just to make it easier for them to turn onto the motorway, but don’t go telling us NZTA that you can’t do the same on Brougham Street because it “might set a precedent”.  

So Dom Kalasih from Transporting New Zealand says Brougham Street is a pig of a road and Scott McAlister from logistics company Mackleys says traffic congestion there is “bad and getting worse”.  

He says: “All the improvements are focused on pedestrians and cyclists. That’s fine. But it needs to conjointly be done with freight.”  

Tell that to some people living in the area though, who are happy that the T2 lanes will mean the trucks being closer to the middle of the road and not travelling so close to the footpath.  

I understand where they’re coming from but the bigger picture, surely, has to be getting that stretch of road moving – especially the trucks.  

And I know rules are rules, but I reckon Brougham Street is a special case. And truckies should, of course, be allowed to use these transit lanes.  

It’s a key link for freight and it makes no sense to keep them stuck in the slow lanes.  

Forty-five thousand vehicles use Brougham Street each day —trucks make up 10% percent of them— and the truckies are saying it adds 30 minutes to their trip. Which I think is a very compelling argument for bending the rules. If not bending the rules, then re-writing them.  

You only need to travel on a bus in one of those bus lanes to get an idea of how much quicker trucks could get through in a T2 lane. I know they would be sharing the lanes with other vehicles —unlike the buses which have the bus lanes to themselves— but it’s worth a go, isn’t it?  

The other part of this is that NZTA is going to have to make sure that these new transit lanes on Brougham Street are policed.  

You might have seen it reported earlier this week that the T2 lanes on the Northern Motorway haven’t been policed since they opened four years ago. Which means people are sailing through when they shouldn’t be. So there will need to be monitoring and enforcement on Brougham Street, otherwise the T2 lanes will be a complete waste of time.  

They’ll also be a complete waste of time if trucks aren’t allowed to use them.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from News Talk ZB.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Here's it quite for you. It's like making a silk
purse out of a pig's ear. What's that about, do
you reckon? Well, it's quite from the boss at Transporting
New Zealand, which represents the trucking sector, talking about Brohme
Street in Christchurch, because it's been revealed today by NZTA

(00:33):
that the one hundred and fifty million dollar revamp of
Brohm Street, which you know is positive because it's one
of christ Church's busiest streets, isn't it. It's been revealed
today by MZTA that it's going to include T two
transit lanes, which the truckies are brassed off about because

(00:54):
they won't be able to use them. That's what they've
been told, you can't use them. And I'm with the truckies.
I reckon it's nuts that are on a street like
Brohm Street, which is which is a pigs ere a
road if there ever was one. I think it's nuts
that we're going to go all you know, rules or
rules on it and not do something that I think

(01:15):
would make a genuine difference, and that the truckes think
would make a genuine difference as well. So you know
what there's about these transit lanes, or the T two
lanes as they're called. They can only be used by
vehicles carrying more than one person, so that's cars doing
drivers doing car pooling or with at least one passenger,

(01:36):
and buses. And they've been on the Northern Motorway out
of christ Church since twenty twenty one and there is
actually a stretch of T two there that the trucks
can use. It's on the tram road on ramp near
the waymaker ready Bridge just tells me, oh, she reckons.
That's probably just to make it easier for them to

(01:57):
turn onto the motorway. But n z TA don't go
telling us you can't do the same on Brahms Street
because it might set a precedent Back to the truckies
and Don Calissea from Transporting New Zealand the guy who
says Brohm Street's a pig of a road, and Scott McAllister,

(02:18):
who was the managing director of logistics company Mackley's, he's
saying today that Broham is quote bad and getting worse,
and that having access to the T two lanes. Truck
access to the T two lanes would have a significant
positive impact on freight getting around the place. Who wouldn't

(02:38):
want that, he says, quote all the improvements are focused
on pedestrians and cyclists. That's fine, but it needs to
conjointly be done with freight. Tell that to some of
the people living in the area, though, who are quite
happy that the T two lanes will mean the trucks
being closer to the middle of the road and not
traveling so close to the footpath. And I understand completely

(03:01):
where they're coming from. But the bigger picture is what
we're talking about here. The bigger picture surely has to
be getting that stretch of road moving, especially the trucks.
And I know rules, dolls and all of that, but
I reckon Brahme Street is a special case, special case,
all right, and getting that moving has to be the focus.

(03:27):
And trucks should of course be allowed to use the
transit lanes. It's a key link for freight getting to
and from the port at Littleton. Isn't amazing that that
road is such a key part of the transportation infrastructure
in Canterbury. It's a key link and it makes no
sense to keep them stuck in the slow lanes, keep

(03:49):
the trucks in the slow lanes forty five thousand vehicles.
How about that every day, forty five thousand vehicles use
bram Street. The trucks make up about ten percent of that,
And the trucking companies are saying Brame Street at the
moment the way, it adds about thirty minutes to the trip,
and I think that it's a very compelling argument for
bending these rules and leading the trucks in. If not

(04:10):
bending the rules, NSTA, if you can't even bring yourself
or can't even let yourself think about bending the rules,
then update the rules, change the rules. If you're worried
about setting precedents or not being consistent. You only need
to travel on one of those on a bus in
one of those bus lanes to get an idea of

(04:31):
how much quicker trucks would get through in a T
two lane. Now, I know that they would be sharing
the lanes with other vehicles, unlike the buses, which you
know that we've got the bus lanes to themselves. Worth
a go, though, isn't it? Surely? The other part of
this as well is that NZTA is going to have
to make sure that these new transit lanes on Broham
Street are actually policed, because you might have seen it

(04:53):
reported earlier this week that the T two lanes on
the Northern Motorway haven't been policed since they were opened
four years ago. They've not signs up telling drivers to
keep out of them unless we've got a passenger on board,
but that's the extent of it. There's been no one
for enforcement, which has meant that people have just been
sailing through in their cars on their own when they
shouldn't be. So there will need to be cameras on

(05:15):
Brown Street monitoring these T two lanes otherwise they'll be
a complete waste of time, and they'll also be a
complete waste of time if trucks aren't allowed to use
them as well.

Speaker 1 (05:28):
For more from Caterbory Mornings with John McDonald, listen live
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