AUCKLAND CITY COUNCIL MEDIA RELEASE

2 April 2007

Campaign to educate red-light runners draws strong response

More than 2600 reports of red-light running were logged during Auckland City Council's 0800 Stop 4 Red campaign last month.

The month-long awareness campaign aimed to deter motorists from running red lights by asking people to report incidents via a dedicated phone line and the council website.

The council has issued offending motorists with warning letters urging them to respect the road rules and other road users, who often become victims when people run red lights.

At the end of the campaign, there were a total of 2632 complaints, with 1338 calls to the phone line and 1294 reports to the website.

Initial analysis of the campaign data shows that Queen Street was a prime spot for red-light running reports, particularly at the intersections with Customs and Wellesley streets.

Additionally, 115 buses, 49 taxis and 11 motorbikes were identified running red-lights.

The campaign aimed to reduce the number of crashes caused by red-light running and raise awareness in the lead up to red-light cameras being introduced into Auckland's CBD later this year.

Councillor Richard Simpson, Transport and Urban Linkages Committee chairperson, says the council is keen to change Aucklanders' road etiquette before the cameras are installed.

"When the cameras are introduced later this year, motorists will not get off so lightly. This has been a good chance to educate people about their dangerous driving practices before they pay the price, quite literally," he says.

The campaign also served to show the high rate of red-light running across the city, says Mr Simpson.

"When you ask people to take note of red-light runners, suddenly it becomes very obvious that this is a common practice for many Auckland drivers. By practicing just a little more caution when approaching a red light, motorists will clearly save lives and prevent needless injury.

"You only have to stand at a busy intersection when people are rushing to get to work or home at the end of the day to observe countless motorists running the red. We're hoping that this campaign has helped people to think twice," says Mr Simpson.

The council's road safety team is analysing the campaign results for trends. Details about repeat offenders will be sent to the New Zealand Police. The team will also liaise with any businesses whose commercial vehicles have been identified repeatedly running red lights.

ENDS

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