Motorists get pat on back for better travel planning

Holiday-makers queued for an hour to cross the one-lane gateway to the Coromandel Peninsula yesterday morning, but the Transport Agency reported all quiet on Kopu Bridge by mid-afternoon.

An 11km tailback south from Warkworth in the morning shrank after lunch, leaving the agency praising drivers for planning their trips better than over previous holiday weekends.

Agency spokesman Ewart Barnsley believed many holiday-makers left Auckland earlier than usual on Thursday to avoid traffic snarl-ups, and said alternatives to the main routes had been well used.

That included State Highway 16 past Helensville to Wellsford and a detour past Paeroa which avoids the Kopu Bridge.

Mr Barnsley said delays stretched to about 90 minutes on the western approach to the bridge on Thursday, but that wasn't unusual.

The agency, which expects a replacement two-lane bridge to be ready by mid-2012, operated an electronic sign advising drivers to use the longer route past Paeroa when delays crossing the bridge exceed 45 minutes.

It is urging drivers to be prepared for an earlier dusk on their return journeys after daylight saving ends tomorrow morning, although Mr Barnsley believes many people will stay away from home for longer because of the school holidays.