KEY POINTS:
It was smooth sailing at the new Northern Gateway toll road yesterday, as many commuters opted to take the easy way out - straight through.
People returning from a long-weekend holiday up north were expected to bring heavy delays yesterday, as cars lined up to pay their $2 toll.
But with at least three road signs informing travellers of the option - to pay online and up to three days later - popping up every 30 seconds or so before the start of the toll road, many commuters seem to have opted for it.
Traffic flowed swiftly south bound and northbound of the road throughout the day, with only a trickle of cars visiting the payment kiosks.
Those helping commuters at the kiosk point said they had been told by the Transport Agency to expect heavy traffic delays and queues from around 1pm - delays that did not come, even at around the peak hours of about 5pm to 6pm.
Transport Agency regional director Wayne McDonald said the lack of traffic on the road and the easy-going queues at the payment kiosks were because of motorists using the online service to pay later.
Commuters using the alternative free routes - through Waiwera and Orewa - also eased congestion.
