Motorists heading away this weekend are being urged to plan ahead, expect delays and exercise patience to ensure a safe journey this Labour Weekend.

Traffic on a number of roads in the Bay of Plenty area is expected to be heavy and NZ Transport Agency is urging motorists to exercise care and safety during their travel.
"Holiday weekends are always busy across Waikato and Bay of Plenty so congestion and delays are inevitable in peak times.

'But if everyone leaves plenty of time for their journey, drives to the conditions and plans ahead before leaving home, the worst of the frustrations can be eased and everyone can concentrate on arriving safely," says an NZ Transport Agency Journey Manager, Nigel D'Ath.

"Look for an alternative route or consider leaving when the traffic is lighter, either early in the morning or later in the day.

'Because predicted peak times can change based on incidents, weather and even driver behaviour we suggest that you check the NZTA website before you leave for accurate information about current road and traffic conditions.”

To further help motorists plan safer travels, NZTA has developed a tool named Holiday Journeys that shows predicted traffic flow across popular journeys based on travel patterns from previous years.

The site shows the busiest areas through Bay of Plenty and Waikato are expected to be the Kaimai Range; State Highway 2 between Paeroa and Waihi; State Highway 2 between Tauranga and Katikati; State Highway 1 north of Hamilton at Taupiri; State Highway 1 south of Cambridge at Karapiro; State Highway 2 at Maramarua; and the Coromandel on State Highway 25 at Tairua and Kopu Bridge.

In light of the delays motorists are being urged to:

- Drive to the conditions, whether it's the weather, the time of day or amount of traffic

- Take regular breaks to stay alert and ensure fatigue doesn't affect your driving

- Keep a safe following distance from vehicles in front so you can stop safely

- Be patient - overtaking is unlikely to make a significant difference to your journey time due to the amount of traffic expected over the weekend.

- Allow plenty of time, remember you are on holiday and avoid the need to rush

- Check your car is in good "health" before you head off.

To plan your journey visit: www.nzta.govt.nz/holidayjourneys.