Descripción
24 hours a day, 7 days a week, we monitor all of Auckland’s motorways and main roads from our Auckland Transport Operation Centre – what we call ATOC.
ATOC is a joint venture between us and Auckland Transport.
Our ATOC operators use 5000 CCTV cameras across the upper North Island, and work closely with emergency services and our contractors on the ground, to respond to issues such as changes in traffic and serious events such as crashes, breakdowns, severe weather, and other emergencies as they happen.
That includes the Auckland Harbour Bridge – which is one of the busiest parts of State Highway 1.
As you know, we’ll put safety measures in place on the bridge when there are high wind gusts, which may include travel restrictions in extreme conditions.
Our ATOC operators pay very close attention to forecast weather and wind speeds and, as wind speeds increase to where there is risk of vehicles overturning, react quickly by putting measures in place – such as reducing the speed advice on the bridge, reducing lanes, or closing the bridge entirely in extreme conditions.
When there are restrictions, such as reduced speed advice or closed lanes, you’ll see them signalled to you on the electronic signs either side of the bridge.
We don’t take the decision to restrict travel on the bridge lightly. We’re responsible both for your safety and for ensuring the safety of the bridge’s structure. As we’ve seen in the past, the risk of vehicles being pushed around by wind gusts is high. That’s a danger to you, and to the bridge.
Along with responding to a wide range of conditions, ATOC also does things such as manage traffic lights in real-time to make your travel more efficient as traffic changes.
ATOC’s work is mirrored by its sister TOC in Wellington (WTOC) and together the 2 cover all of New Zealand’s motorways and state highways.
ATOC’s work behind the scenes means all you need to do is travel safely to your destination, and check our page or the Journey Planner on our website to plan your travel when there are disruptions or bad weather.
We’ll look after the roads – so you can efficiently get to where you need to go.