Any scooter commuters? Help: Auckland Harbour Bridge

[madmungo]

Evening all,

I've been focused on finding somewhere affordable to live on the north shore the last few months for when we arrive at the end of January '09. Now it seems my plans may be shot through with word that riding a scooter over the harbour bridge is banned!

Is this true? I could probably Google it but wanted to ask a local if commuting by 125cc is:

a). safe going into the CBD? (I've racked up 19K miles in and out of London over 8 years)

b). alllowed? A friend living in Welly believes the route is a motorway and hence anything but a proper 500cc motorbike is out of the question.

This leaves me wondering if I should be looking to rent elsewhere south of the CBD (assuming that's where I get a job - but don't get me started on that concern, there's nearly 6 months left to sort it...). I thought the ferry was an option but don't want to start budgeting for buying and running 2 cars.

Cheers, Chris

[mgbridges]

a). safe going into the CBD? (I've racked up 19K miles in and out of London over 8 years)

b). alllowed? A friend living in Welly believes the route is a motorway and hence anything but a proper 500cc motorbike is out of the question.

I thought the ferry was an option but don't want to start budgeting for buying and running 2 cars.

Hi Chris,

In response (as best as I can);
a) is it safe going into the CBD on a 125cc Scooter from the North Shore? Well personally I wouldn't want to do it. I get nervous enough going over the bridge in our huge Mitsubishi Outlander. That said you've clocked up a lot of miles which indicates that you are probably a pretty confident scooter rider and used to heavy traffic so maybe you wouldn't find it a problem.

b) is it allowed? Given that its is indeed a motorway that goes over the bridge I'm not sure. I've tried Googling but haven't found a definitive answer yet.

c) The ferry could very well be an option if you can live in or near to one of the ferry terminals. Have a look at www.fullers.co.nz for options.

HTH
Anneliese

[Tia Maria]

My OH has seen someone driving a Vespa over the bridge on a regular basis, but I have no idea what the rules are and what type of engine it had!

Sorry not much help.

Cheers

Tia

[KerryS]

As far as I am aware the rules regarding whether a vehicle is a moped or a motorcycle depend on the speed it is able to reach - a moped is restricted to less than 50kmh, which means it is not allowed on the motorway. If it is faster than this then it has to be registered as a motorcycle and you need a licence and a WOF for the vehicle. Then you can use it on the motorway, and therefore on the harbour bridge.
Personally I wouldn't fancy riding a moped over the bridge - the traffic is constantly heavy during rush hour, which is when I presume you would be communting, and it's not a very pleasant experience in a car, let alone on a moped.

If you were near to a ferry would you not consider commuting into the CBD that way? Why would you need 2 cars to do this?

[madmungo]

Thanks very much to all of you for your replies.

I ended up Googling for the answer too and read all about "catastrophic structural failure" in the clipon lanes which put me off the bridge all together! Thankfully, not being an engineer, I guess I can mentally discard that info and stick with it.

The point about the heavy traffic did ring a bell as when we spent a week in Auckland last year and went to and fro across the bridge a few times it did strike me that the cars were packed together and not really slowing down that much.

Driving round London is OK most of the time as the roads are normally gridlocked and you just meander slowly down the centre white line. The one time I braved the A3 though I did feel a little more exposed and that's what comes to mind for the bridge every morning. I'm wondering if my UK licence will allow me to buy and run a 250cc scooter instead.

The ferry appeals but rentals in Devonport/lower shore look pricey. The two cars KerryS was on the assumption my OH would need one to get the kids (5 and 7) to school but I'm wondering about looking out West where the train line runs or bus routes into the CBD.

It's funny how the uncertainty about work/house/schools, etc is growing as Jan approaches. Getting a job nailed down and working from there could help.

Cheers, Chris

[gil]

My hubbie commutes from Bucklands Beach to CBD (therefore NOT using Harbour Bridge) via motorway on a 250 cc Vespa every day. It is legal and he finds scootering on the motorway fine.

Gil

[James 1077]

Your other option is to park the scooter at the ferry terminal and then catch the ferry over.

Personally I wouldn't want to take a scooter over the harbour bridge but not because of traffic (I scootered around London with no real problems) - your big issue will be the wind. It gets pretty gusty on there at times and I wouldn't feel too safe on scooter tyres if a rain squall came through - you need proper motorbike tyres to provide the traction to cope with something like that!

[Nick88]

James is right, the bridge is often closed to motorbikes (and high sided vehicles) due to the wind. Riding a scooter over the bridge would give me skidmarks!