Traffic in Auckland CBD slows to crawl, Victoria St carpark clogged for hours

Drivers in central Auckland's Victoria Street car park were forced to wait for at least 90 minutes as traffic backed up. Photo / Dean Purcell

Traffic in Auckland’s CBD slowed to a crawl this afternoon, with some motorists having to wait in a carpark building for nearly two hours as near-gridlock stopped cars from leaving the building.

Matthew Lee told the Herald that he had to wait in his car on level 17 of the Victoria St carpark for at least 90 minutes this afternoon.

“I had been shopping in town since 12pm, and got to my car around 2.30pm, decided to leave and that’s when I realised the carpark wasn’t moving,” he said.

“I got out of the space, lined up and realised I haven’t moved for more than an hour.

“People possibly could have been waiting for two hours. By the time I get out, it could take as long as two hours.”

Lee thinks the reason for the delay is due to the nearby roadworks.

“It is preventing people from exiting the carpark and backing everything up.”

He said the situation became quite tense.

“There are kids in some of the cars. There has been some yelling, which is quite understandable.”

Lee estimated he moved roughly 50m between 3.15pm and 3.45pm.

A person in another car told him Auckland Council would send a traffic manager to the area to control the flow of cars.

Traffic around Albert Park in Auckland's CBD slowed to crawl, preventing drivers from leaving Victoria Street car park.

Drivers in central Auckland's Victoria Street car park were forced to wait for at least 90 minutes as the traffic backed up. Photo / Dean Purcell

An Auckland Transport spokesperson said Auckland city centre is a popular weekend destination and events like today’s Open Day at Auckland University can cause more congestion than normal.

“We know this can be frustrating and stressful for drivers and we do what we can to keep traffic moving.

“One way we do this is at Auckland Transport Operations Centre (ATOC) where the team constantly monitors the roads and optimises traffic signals when needed to improve traffic flow so people can move more quickly.”

At the end of last year, drivers were forced to wait nearly four hours in the Westfield Newmarket car park after the queue exiting the carpark at an Auckland mall moved at a crawl.

One shopper told the Herald she had been stuck in her car in the Westfield Newmarket for about two and a half hours.

“At the moment, we’re sitting here not sure what to do,” she said.

“I feel like I’m going to have a panic attack. It’s absolutely scary being trapped in a mall.”