Takapuna's logjam worst

Photo / Steven McNicholl

Morning traffic queues back from the Northern Motorway's Esmonde Rd interchange mean Takapuna commuters face a harder slog to work for the distance travelled than other Aucklanders.

Navigation equipment supplier Tom Tom has found that it takes an average of 18 minutes longer to drive from Takapuna to Auckland in the morning travel peak than in free-flowing traffic, when the trip takes just over 10 minutes.

That puts Takapuna ahead of all other surveyed Auckland suburbs in terms of delays in proportion to trip distances, according to statistics gleaned from users of its GPS-based equipment.

But the return journey in the evening peak takes just 17 minutes, making it the fifth easiest of the 24 suburbs surveyed to get home to.

The finding comes as little surprise to Devonport-Takapuna Local Board chairman Chris Darby, who wants to see high-occupancy cars in the Esmonde Rd bus lane to reduce traffic volumes on the route.

Mr Darby said he hoped Auckland Transport would look favourably at his suggestion in a city-wide review of bus lanes due to be completed this month.