Black Friday shoppers warned to plan ahead, with traffic jams expected

By Maia Ingoe of RNZ

Shoppers heading out to snatch a Black Friday deal are being warned to plan their travel carefully, as traffic is expected to ramp up.

In 2023, cars were stuck in hours-long queues in the Westfield Newmarket Mall carpark, the weekend before Black Friday.

The New Zealand Transport Agency is expecting to see more traffic than normal on state highways over the Black Friday period – and says drivers should prepare for delays, especially in areas close to major Auckland shopping areas in Westgate, Newmarket, Mt Wellington and the airport.

Mark Knoff-Thomas from the Newmarket Business Association said traffic there would not be a repeat of the 2023 traffic jam.

“We’ve been working very carefully with all of our stakeholders around that, and working closely with ATOC [the Auckland Transport Operations Centre],” he said.

“There’ll be additional resources on the ground to make sure traffic flows freely.”

Auckland Transport’s director of customer and network performance, Simon Buxton, said the agency had been working with shopping malls to plan for Black Friday traffic.

“Our operations centre is doing everything they can to help keep traffic flowing around shopping centres this festive season, though we’re also encouraging shoppers to make the most of all the transport choices that are available to them.”

Shoppers should consider using public transport to get to the malls, he said.

“Travelling by bus, train or ferry, walking, scootering or cycling are all other options that take you to shopping centres.

“We all know how frustrating it can be looking for a park if everyone is travelling to malls at the same time so our challenge to Aucklanders is to give the bus or train a go this year if you don’t need to fill the boot with presents or food for your Christmas spread.”

He said shoppers should keep an eye on traffic, and delay travel if it was heavily congested.

Black Friday had become one of the biggest shopping days of the year, Sylvia Park centre manager Shahyad Asdollah-Zadeh said.

Aucklanders heading out to get a deal should plan their travel ahead of time, and look online to plan what carpark was nearest to their destination, he said.

“Another good tip is to consider public transport. Sylvia Park is really well connected, in terms of being on the Eastern train line, as well as having multiple bus routes coming through the sites.

“So if you can, jump online, see what options might work for you from a public transport perspective.”

Families could also consider carpooling, he said, or extending their trip by staying for a meal.

The mall had also been working with the AT Operations Centre to make plans for those heading to the centre’s 4500 carparks and 13 different parking zones.

“We’ve got a really good plan in place with them, whereby we’ll be monitoring things from our perspective, and likewise, they will be as well. We’ve got open lines of communication between us and Auckland Transport to help alleviate any issues that may arise,” Asdollah-Zadeh said.