The New Zealand Transport Agency says planning is key when choosing the best time to travel this holiday season.
They say motorists can do their bit by staggering their journeys outside of the busiest periods and checking the Transport Agency's real-time traffic information services for the latest updates on highway conditions.
“Roads across Bay of Plenty/Waikato are always busy at this time of year as people visit family and friends and there are often incidents that cause delays, but if everyone allows plenty of time for their journey, drives to the conditions and plans ahead before leaving home the worst of the frustrations can be eased,” says Niclas Johansson, the Waikato and Bay of Plenty State Highways Manager.
The Transport Agency has produced interactive maps showing the busiest routes and times over the Christmas and New Year holidays, these are available on their website.
“Data from previous years shows state highways will be busy throughout the middle of the day all the way from the 23rd of December to the 4th of January, with some particularly heavy times on individual routes and days,” Mr Johansson says.
Information on hotspots is based on previous years travel patterns. They are predictions and are subject to change based on weather or other factors, and we encourage people to check the travel section of our website or our social media pages so they can know the current road conditions before they start their journey:
Motorists can get real-time information from:
• 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 44 44 49)