Easter traffic slows to a crawl

The traffic out of Auckland is building up for Easter weekend. Photo / Nick Reed

Traffic heading both north and south out of Auckland has slowed to a crawl in places.

The southbound lanes of Auckland's Southern Motorway have been heavily congested since about 2.30pm and the northbound lanes of the Northern Motorway before the Johnstone Hill Tunnels were also congested.

The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) said some motorists were queued for half an hour on State Highway 20 this afternoon due to very heavy traffic south-bound on the Southern Motorway from the city to Takanini.

In the north, traffic was congested from Orewa to Puhoi and significant delays were expected, NZTA said.

There were delays in Warkworth also, and motorists were encouraged to take State Highway 16 to Wellsford.

NZTA road safety director Ernst Zollner said factors such as increased traffic volumes, people driving long distances on unfamiliar roads, driver fatigue and the general stress from traffic jams and noisy children could make driving risky this weekend.

"All of these things can make holiday driving difficult, and everyone makes mistakes, but by planning ahead you can make things easier on yourself and make sure you get to your destination safely," he said.

Mr Zollner said NZTA had crunched data from the last two years' Easter weekend holiday periods to compile a list of likely holiday congestion spots.

SH1 at Wellsford was expected to be heavily congested from 3.30pm to 8.30pm, and SH2 between Paeroa and Katikati between 2.30pm and 7.30pm.

Further south, traffic was expected to be heavy on SH2 at Rimutaka Hill between Wellington and Featherston from 3.30pm to 7pm.

SH1 at Waikanae was expected to be heavily congested from 1pm to 3pm and again between 6pm and 7.30pm.

The official Easter holiday road toll period began at 4pm today and runs until 6am on Tuesday.

A man died when the car he was travelling in struck a tree in Ngaruawahia about 4am this morning.

The fatality was not included in the official Easter road toll period.

Traffic heading out of Auckland. Photo / Dean Purcell

Last year's Easter road toll was five, from a reported 95 injury crashes.

Three people were killed on the roads in 2013. The only fatality-free Easter ever recorded was in 2012.

Officers will again be enforcing a reduced speed threshold of 4km/h during the official Easter holiday period.

Police said motorists should expect delays on central North Island roads.

Senior Sergeant Kris Burbery said police would be conducting checkpoints that focused on high-risk driver behaviour, particularly drink- and drug-impaired driving, speeding and not wearing seatbelts.

"Officers will be highly visible across the district's roads and motorists should expect that at anywhere and at anytime they could be stopped and be subject to a breath screening test."

The volume of traffic on roads across the South Island would increase as people took advantage of the last long weekend before the cold weather set in, police said.

Police urged slower drivers, including those towing vehicles, to pull over and let others pass when it was safe to do so.

Traffic at a crawl heading south on the Southern Motorway as people head away for Easter Weekend today. Photo / Dean Purcell

Simple things you can do to reach your destination safely:

• Get plenty of rest before travelling will help you to remain alert and focused

Plan your journey and make the journey part of the holiday

Add extra time in your plan for delays due to the volume of traffic

On long journeys share the driving

Drive to the conditions and do not exceed the posted speed limit.

Be mindful of your following distances

Don't drink and drive.