With many Wellingtonians stretching out their summer holidays by heading away this long weekend, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency is sharing its traffic predictions to help people plan their journeys.
“Plenty of people will be making the most of Wellington Anniversary weekend, so we expect traffic to be busier than usual on the state highways in and out of Wellington,” Regional Maintenance and Operations Manager Mark Owen says.
“Congestion and delays can be frustrating, but the most important thing is that everyone get to their destination and back safely. To make journeys more enjoyable, people might like to consider leaving outside of peak times to avoid of the worst of the traffic.”
Waka Kotahi has updated the online holiday journeys traffic prediction tool which shows predicted traffic flow this Wellington Anniversary weekend, based on previous years’ travel patterns. This handy ‘trip hack’ can help people plan their journeys and avoid delays.
Holiday journeys traffic prediction tool(external link)
State Highway 1 heading north is predicted to be busiest on Friday 21 January 2022, particularly between 12pm and 6pm. Saturday 22 January 2022 is also expected to be busy for much of the day, with heavy traffic predicted between 10am and 12pm.
The return journey south on State Highway 1 is expected to busiest on Monday 24 January 2022, especially between 1pm and 5pm. The afternoon of Sunday 23 January 2022 is also likely to be busy, particularly from 4.30pm to 6.30pm.
State Highway 2 heading north over the Remutaka Hill is expected to be busy for most of the day on Friday 21 January 2022, with the return journey on this route predicted to be busiest on Monday 24 January 2022.
“If you are heading away this weekend, please plan ahead, be patient and drive to the conditions. Let’s all play a part in making sure everyone has a safe journey,” Mr Owen says.
“Trying to ‘make up lost time’ by speeding and unsafe overtaking puts everyone on the road at risk. Even when it isn’t the direct cause of a crash, speed is often the difference between someone walking away unharmed or being seriously injured or killed. For everyone’s safety, please slow down.”
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