Motorists are being reminded to plan ahead to avoid the traditional busy travel times this Auckland Anniversary weekend.
The NZ Transport Agency says drivers leaving Auckland during Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, and those heading back to Auckland on Sunday or Monday are likely to be delayed by heavy traffic volumes.
To help drivers plan ahead to avoid the queues the Transport Agency has crunched the data from previous Auckland Anniversary weekends which gives an insight into peoples expected travel patterns. www.nzta.govt.nz/hotspots(external link)
“We know that traffic will start building from about 10 o’clock on Friday morning and stay pretty busy until about 9pm with the heaviest times between 2pm and 8pm,” says Brett Gliddon the Transport Agency’s Auckland Highway Manager.
Heading back to Auckland on Monday the busiest travel times are from about lunchtime through until the early evening.
“If you can plan your travel outside of these times you’ll be giving yourself a much less stressful start to the weekend and help ease congestion levels for everyone else.”
The Transport Agency is also urging everyone to put safety first to prevent needless tragedies on the road.
“Stay sober and alert, watch your speed, make sure everyone is buckled up and drive to the conditions to do your bit towards making our roads safer for everyone.”
One of the busiest highways will be the Northern Gateway Toll Road on State Highway 1 north of Auckland, with more than 21,000 trips a day during previous anniversary weekends.
People using the Northern Gateway Toll Road can make the journey even more hassle free by prepaying their tolls at www.tollroad.govt.nz(external link).
Plan ahead by signing up to www.onthemove.govt.nz(external link) to get email notifications about road and traffic conditions where you plan on travelling, or check the Traffic and Travel pages at www.nzta.govt.nz(external link) or follow us on Facebook; NZTA Auckland and Northland or Twitter @nzta for regular updates on road and weather conditions.
