Almost 60 drivers cheated in the T3 lane of Auckland's congested Onewa Rd in a half-hour period of rush-hour traffic this week.

From 8am until 8.30am on Tuesday morning, Stuff reporters recorded 58 vehicles breaking the T3 rule, which, if they had been fined, at $150 per car would have equalled a whopping $8700.

A T3 lane is for any vehicle that has 3 or more people.

LAINE MOGER/STUFF Onewa Rd T3 lane just after 8am on March 13.

They also observed objects in back seats that did not constitute a third or more person, including a bike, pot plants, empty baby seats and a laundry basket.

Also using the T3 lane on March 12, Stuff counted 16 motorcycles/scooters legally using the lane and 23 buses - many of which were filled to standing.

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LAINE MOGER/STUFF Buses and motorcycles are allowed to use the T3 lane.

North Shore ward councillor Richard Hills was on board one of those buses from his Bayview home to the city, and saw Stuff reporters monitoring the traffic. Hills got in touch and said the run into the city was faster on Tuesday morning than other journeys.

"It was a pretty clear run today. Obviously the extra compliance is working," Hills said, referring to extra cameras used recently.

The T3 lane is regularly monitored by AT from Monday to Friday, with the enforcement zones rotated.

Laine Moger More than 20 buses used the lower section of Onewa Rd T3 lane during the 30 minutes that Stuff reporters were watching.

However, on March 8, AT set up four cameras along Onewa Rd during the morning peak to snap non-compliance within the transit lane.

AT media relations manager Mark Hannan said the increase in compliance officers on March 8 was to "heighten awareness" and in future the number of compliance officers may increase at random.

"Drivers get too used to seeing one operator in one zone and expect that they can use the balance of lane without potential consequence," Hannan said.

"By the time drivers saw the second camera person, compliance was significantly improved at lower levels of Onewa Rd."

Overall, compliance levels in the Onewa Rd T3 fluctuate, Hannan said.

On social media there was mixed opinions about drivers who ignored the T3 rules.

Some drivers said they would not let another driver, who was breaking the T3 lane rules, into their lane when they spotted a camera.

"So many panicky T3 cheats honking at people not letting them in the queue", wrote one driver on Facebook.

Other drivers called the AT cameras used to catch non-compliant drivers "pests" and wrote that they would still be trying to work the system to their advantage.

For years residents have called for the T3 lane to become a T2 lane and many have queried AT's proposal to extend the operating hours.

Currently the T3 lane towards the city, where additional officers were posted this month, operates from 6.30am through to 9am.

"Operating times may change but no decisions have been made," Hannan said.

"But any change will be communicated through the media and signage on the road."

Onewa Rd is the most ticketed transit lane on the North Shore according to Auckland Transport (AT) and thousands of drivers were caught out each year.