The Front Page: March Madness returns – Why are Auckland’s traffic jams so bad

Auckland's traffic woes have returned with full force. Photo / Michael Craig

In the lead-up to March every year, Auckland’s motorways grind to a halt as they back up with bumper-to-bumper traffic.

This annual convergence of combustion engines has been dubbed March Madness to reflect the frustration of every commuter trying to get to work.

After two years of Covid disruptions, this problem is well and truly back – and it hasn’t been helped by massive disruptions across our public transport network.

Martin Glynn, the policy director of motoring affairs at the AA, tells The Front Page podcast this happens because of the build-up in people using the roads after the summer holidays.

“When the first lot of workers go back straight after the statutory holidays, the roads are pretty free-flowing and then congestion starts to build slowly as more and more people finish their holidays,” Glynn says.

“And then, at the end of January and early February, there’s another big spike as the schools go back and people who have taken holidays around [the public holidays] start to filter back into the offices and workplaces. But the biggest factor, by far, is the school runs.”

The final contributing factor ultimately comes in the shape of university students also returning to their campuses.

All of this places enormous pressure on the road network across Auckland. This year’s traffic squeeze has been exaggerated by disruptions to the public transport network. Some of this can be attributed to the recent storms, but there have also been a number of planned rail closures due to line upgrades.

“The southern line [upgrade] is a big one because the southern motorway is by far the busiest motorway network. The number of people who catch is the train is relatively small, but it doesn’t take much to tip the balance when you’ve already got lots of traffic.

“That, in particular, is a major concern. And the alternatives that Auckland Transport are putting out, so-called rail buses, don’t work for a lot of people, just in terms of reliability, frequency and travel times.”

This issue of reliability is one that keeps cropping up with Auckland’s public transport system, as users often deal with delays, cancellations and changed schedules.

So how do you improve trust in the public transport system? Is it time to start introducing congestion charges? Should more Kiwis change their work schedules? And could free public transport become the incentive commuters need to take public transport?

Listen to today’s episode of The Front Page podcast for answers to these questions and more.