Ready, set, don’t go!
Wellington motorists hoping to beat the holiday rush may have already missed their chance.
Traffic projections compiled by the New Zealand Transport Agency show Wellington motorists heading away for the holidays are likely to hit heavy traffic from as early as 10am today on State Highway 1, and it is only going to get worse as Christmas Day approaches.
The agency has advised motorists across the country to plan ahead and travel outside of the busiest periods in coming days.
Wellington motorists hoping to travel up SH1 on the Ka¯piti Coast are likely to hit some of the worst traffic across the country over the holiday period, with heavy congestion expected for long periods between today and December 30, and again in the first few days of the new year.
The situation looks much better on SH2 between Wellington and Featherston, with traffic expected to be mostly free-flowing for much of the holiday period.
But NZTA warned that could change quickly, with accidents, bad weather, and even other motorists’ driving potentially causing problems.
‘‘Every holiday period and long weekend, we see large numbers of people heading out of the main centres to popular holiday destinations and this can cause queues and delays,’’ the agency said. ‘‘To help alleviate these problems, we recommend planning your travel well in advance and travelling outside the busiest periods.’’
NZTA encouraged people to check its website for up-to-date information, including live traffic cameras, delays, road closures and roadworks.
It also advised motorists driving in busy traffic to take extra care, stop for regular breaks, drive to the conditions, and be patient.
Automobile Association spokesman Barney Irvine encouraged motorists to be flexible if possible.
‘‘Don’t just jump in your car and go. That’s when you can get caught out.’’
He said people should avoid driving between 10am and 4pm over the next two weeks, especially at traffic ‘‘hot spots’’.
Those spots included Auckland’s southern motorway at Takanini, SH1 around Warkworth, SH2 between Pokeno and SH25 (Auckland to Coromandel), and the Ka¯ piti Coast.
‘‘There is a fair amount of pain on the Ka¯ piti Coast. You can get caught out there and caught out badly.’’
He also warned Christmas Day traffic could be surprisingly busy.