Employees turn to blow-up dolls to beat traffic
June 26, 2008 by Shane BorerPosted in: "Seemed like a good idea at the time", "Would you want this person in Finance?", Fighting off fraud, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest news & views, Tech failure
Carpooling isn’t the only way to get to work on time.
After implementation of new transit regs that require drivers to have at least three passengers to qualify for the carpool lane, New Zealanders have been scheming to trick the system.
Traffic cameras monitor passing vehicles, and anyone caught in the carpool lane without the required number of people gets slapped with a $114 fine.
That hasn’t stopped commuters from trying to pull a fast one. Among the list of fake vehicle occupants: blow-up dolls, shop mannequins and dogs dressed up as children.
Local college students are turning the problem into a business opportunity — they’re charging a small fee to get driven past traffic cameras and enforcement officers, and then they run back up the road to repeat the trick for other needy vehicles.
They’ve got to earn their beer money somehow, right?
Tags: Carpooling, Commuting, New Zealand, Traffic, Transit
