Avoid the Easter Weekend traffic

The NZ Transport Agency is advising motorists to start their Easter break online and plan ahead to avoid joining the holiday traffic queues.

Easter 2015 coincides with the start of the school holidays and traffic is expected to be heavy on roads and highways from 3pm today.

State Highway 2 between Paeroa and Katikati has been identified by the Transport Agency as a high-traffic area over the Easter holiday at the following times:
(Based on 2013 and 2014 traffic)

East-bound traffic:

Thursday 2.30pm-7.30pm
Friday 10am-5pm (heaviest 11am-2pm)
Saturday 11am-1pm

West-bound traffic:
Sunday midday-5pm
Monday 9.30am-6pm (heaviest 10am-3pm)

The official Easter Holiday period begins at 4pm on Thursday 2 April and ends at 6am on Tuesday 7 April.

Over the past five years, there have been 27 injury crashes on Bay of Plenty roads, with two people killed and eight seriously injured.

Road Policing National Operations Manager, Inspector Peter McKennie, says Police will be firmly focused on preventing risk-taking behaviour that is responsible for killing and injuring far too many people on our roads.

"This includes targeting high risk driver behaviour that puts all road users at risk - including drink and drug-impaired driving, speeding, and failing to wear safety belts - including for children and other passengers.

"In addition to breath testing and other high visibility policing tactics, we will be enforcing a reduced 4km/h speed threshold as we have done for every other long holiday weekend since Queen's Birthday Weekend in 2010. "

This means anyone caught exceeding the posted speed limit by more than 4km/h by a speed camera or a Police officer can expect to be ticketed.