Editorial: Patience needed on our roads during the holiday period

Patience is needed on our roads this summer.

Patience is a virtue that too often gets left at home - but it's something drivers are going to need on the roads this holiday season.

We're lucky in Hawke's Bay that we don't have the congestion of Auckland or Wellington to contend with.

We can load up the car and be on the open road within minutes.

There will still be more cars on the roads and some of those drivers may not have packed their patience or could be tired after a long journey.

As of last night the road toll had already climbed to eight. That's eight people who won't see in the new year surrounded by their friends and family.

Two of those were killed on a road many of us know well - State Highway 2 between Wairoa and Gisborne.

An 11-year-old boy, Sione Taumololo, and 33-year-old woman Talita Fifita, both of Tonga, were killed when the bus they were on crashed near Gisborne on Christmas Eve.

There were 53 people aboard the bus, 10 of whom remain in hospital.

It was a tragedy for everyone involved.

The road between Nuhaka and Gisborne will be closed at times to allow for the recovery of the bus.

Because of the closures, the journey for those travelling to Rhythm and Vines could take longer.

So take your time on the roads and take care.

As Hawke's Bay police Senior Sergeant Luke Shadbolt said: "It doesn't matter how long it takes to get there -the most important thing is that you do get there."