Heavy traffic expected on region's roads for Fieldays

The crowds make their way onto the site on the first day of the New Zealand National Agricultural Fieldays held at Mystery Creek near Hamilton last year.

Fieldays gets under way at Mystery Creek in Hamilton this Wednesday - running through to Saturday - and the NZ Transport Agency is urging people to plan their journeys before they leave.

People using the State Highways around the Bay of Plenty and Waikato should allow extra time when travelling during the morning and evening.

The NZ Transport Agency highways manager, Karen Boyt, said pre-planning was essential if drivers wanted to enjoy safe travel and avoid delays.

"People should allow extra time when driving during Fieldays because of the increase in traffic on the roads and the fact that it's winter.

"In winter, weather and road conditions can change in a relatively short period of time so know before you go and regularly check while travelling if it's safe to do so."

Ms Boyt said there were a number of ways to check what's happening on the roads.

"The best place to get advice is on our website, our social media or by calling call 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 4444 49) to speak to the call centre team who can provide you with traffic and travel information."

Based on past experience, the agency said people should look out for congestion around Huntly, alongside Lake Karapiro through to the intersection with SH1 and SH29 and on the roads around Mystery Creek and the Hamilton urban area.

There will be a number of worksites unde rway during Fieldays including the Hamilton section of the Waikato Expressway, the new pedestrian underpass of Cobham Drive and the safety improvement work on SH3 between Ohaupo and Te Awamutu. These projects will allow for two-way traffic to keep people moving as safely as possible.

A roadworks moratorium will also be in place in some parts of Bay of Plenty and Waikato.

Tools for road users
•NZTA has set up a Fieldays section of our website: journeys.nzta.govt.nz/waikato/traffic-dashboard
•Call 0800 4 HIGHWAYS (0800 4444 49) to speak to the call centre team who can provide you with traffic and travel information.
•#fieldays2017. Social media users heading to Fieldays can share their travel experiences by using the hashtag #fieldays2017.
•Travel Time Information - a network of units which use Bluetooth technology have been placed at Fieldays and key central North Island towns such as Tauranga, Rotorua, Hamilton and Cambridge. The devices use Bluetooth technology to record actual travel times for vehicles between the location of the trackers and Mystery Creek.

People may also want to think about using either the new Park and Ride service at 'The Base' being offered by Fieldays or the bus route from the centre of Hamilton out to Fieldays.