Bay of Plenty motorists urged to plan ahead for Queen's Birthday Weekend

The NZ Transport Agency is encouraging people who are heading away for the long weekend to plan ahead.Photo/George Novak

The New Zealand Transport Agency is encouraging Bay of Plenty people who are heading away for the long weekend to plan ahead.

The agency is predicting that the heaviest time for Bay of Plenty traffic over the long weekend will be eastbound on State Highway 29 Kaimai Range between 3pm and 5.30pm on Friday and 11am and 12.30pm on Saturday. Westbound is expected to be busiest between 10.30am and 3.30pm on June 4.

State Highway 2 between Tauranga and Katikati is expected to have the heaviest traffic northbound between 4pm and 7pm on Friday. Southbound is expected to be busiest between 1.30pm and 6pm on Friday and 1pm and 4pm on Monday.

Agency transport system manager Karen Boyt said predicted peak times could change based on incidents, weather and changes in driver travel patterns.

"Going online to plan your journey before getting on the road reduces the chance of experiencing delays during high traffic flows on the highway. "

The agency's online real-time highway information service alerts road users to travel warnings or road closures.

"You can also check out the cameras to see how traffic is moving in and out of the city." Ms Boyt said.

"Motorists can also find out what the expected peak travel times are on the agency's Queen's Birthday Weekend hotspots map to plan their travel and avoid peak holiday traffic."