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Helen&TonyV

Hi - is it a ticketable offense to change lanes on a one-way street where there are solid white lines? I only ask because my friend told me it was when I did so with her in the car. At one intersection in New Plymouth it's virtually impossible not to if you're turning from one direction & want to get into the left lane for the service station or the Warehouse car park, which are pretty much right on the intersection itself.

Anon

Hi there,
The solid white is an indication of lane outline and is designed to keep you within and not recommending you cross until it is dotted. However I'm not aware of it being a ticket worthy driving offence.
Previously we have obtained information from the NZTA and they have said the same thing.
An old forum question was answered below.
While solid white lines are designed to direct the traffic and emphasise that the traffic should not cross the line, unlike yellow lines, it is not strictly illegal to do so. However, any driver who does cross the white lines does so at their peril, and in the event of an accident will have a lot of questions to answer, and almost certainly be considered to be at fault.