New data shows Auckland motorway traffic worsening

New data shows Auckland motorway traffic worsening

If you live in Auckland, you'll be well aware how painstakingly slow it can be to travel anywhere -- in fact almost everything we do revolves around how long it will take to get from A to B.

The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) says the increase in travel times over the years is due partly to infrastructure and construction -- but mainly the huge growth of population and special housing areas.

Fresh data shows in the 12 months from February last year, 42,986 additional private vehicles were registered in Auckland alone.

New data shows Auckland motorway traffic worsening

"It definitely has an impact on Auckland traffic, all that growth can't not have an impact," says NZTA Highways Manager Brett Gliddon. "It has meant that on some routes across Auckland over the last period, it's definitely been a heavier congestion than we had seen in previous years."

Mr Gliddon says the NZTA plan around models which look at potential traffic growth over a 30 year period.

"It's hard to keep up with the growth, it's very fast at the moment -- but we've got a lot on the go to respond to that growth so we're confident that we've got a lot of things happening that will make a difference over time."

Knowing the traffic's only getting worse might be of little comfort to those with a lengthy morning motorway commute.

Four years ago on the Southern Motorway, a February morning journey from Papakura to the CBD took 47 minutes -- this year data shows that increased to 67 minutes, a difference of 20 minutes.

New data shows Auckland motorway traffic worsening

The Northern Motorway from Oteha Valley Rd to the CBD isn't much better -- the average morning commute in February took 50 minutes, up eight minutes from four years earlier.

New data shows Auckland motorway traffic worsening

On the Northwestern motorway from Royal Rd to the CBD, the journey time is a little better -- but the delay is mostly due to extensive roadworks along the highway, which are expected to be completed next year.

New data shows Auckland motorway traffic worsening

Although March's figures aren't yet available, Mr Gliddon says "March-Madness" is a real thing, where more people are on the roads each year that month causing traffic chaos.

"March is the time when everyone is finished their holidays, all the university students are back at university, no one tends to be sick and so it's the worst storm of people on the network at once. It is a thing that happens every year, and what you'll see from now going through the year is that demand will slowly die down."

Newshub.