Traffic beginning to increase during alert level 3 in Auckland's CBD. Photo / Michael Craig
Traffic beginning to increase during alert level 3 in Auckland's CBD. Photo / Michael Craig
After weeks off the roads, Kiwis will be back travelling out and about as they embrace the "new normal" of alert level 2.
As people start socialising, driving to work again, and dropping children off at school, police and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency want motorists to take extra care on the roads.
"Some of us may not have driven at all for seven weeks, or will have only taken short trips to the supermarket," Acting Superintendent Gini Welch, National Road Policing Manager, said.
"So we may be feeling a bit rusty behind the wheel or overwhelmed by the amount of cars back on the road again."
Police expected there would be a lot of people out and about this weekend, meeting up with family and friends they haven't been able to see since before the lockdown, she said.
"We know people will be keen to get a bit of normalcy back in their lives and head to their favourite cafe, the hairdresser, or visit malls with friends," Welch said.
"We'll also have children returning to schools on Monday. So it's important we remember to all take it easy on the roads this weekend and to slow down around schools next week.
"For parents, it's also a good time to remind your children and teens about road safety."
Kids would have likely become accustomed to emptier roads, so there's a chance they may be a bit more complacent when they were crossing, she said.
Reminding them of the basics was a good idea, she said.
"We still came across people speeding during alert levels 4 and 3, so we want to remind motorists to slow down," Welch said.
"Even a small increase in speed results in a much greater increase in your stopping distance, and that in turn has a huge impact on the outcome of a crash.
"It may mean the difference between life and death, or walking away versus being carried away with permanent injuries.
"How you act on the roads has an impact on everybody else around you. So, let's remember to stay kind and take care of each other."
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency Senior Manager Road Safety Fabian Marsh said the move to alert level 2 would mean busier roads and he urged motorists to be alert and careful.
"We know that more people are now walking and cycling, and we urge drivers to stay alert and take extra care around cyclists and pedestrians," Marsh said.
"We know that people are maintaining physical distances when they're out walking and cycling, and that is what we want to see.
"However, pedestrians and cyclists are also much more vulnerable to injury than drivers in a crash. If you're driving a vehicle it's crucial to stay alert, slow down and give plenty of room when passing people on bikes or on foot."
The transport agency will be hitting the "pause" button on daytime roadworks on some of the country's busiest highways in an effort to ease congestion and delays for drivers tomorrow.
General manager of transport services Brett Gliddon said most planned daytime maintenance work and potentially disruptive construction work on the state highway network in major centres will be paused on Thursday, Friday and Monday.
"We're hitting 'pause' on roadworks on our busiest highways for the first few days of level 2 to avoid making those delays worse."
Motorists will also have to remember that paid parking has resumed.
