Police will continue their crackdown on speed and alcohol after a holiday period in which 17 people died on the country's roads.

The death of a man in Christchurch overnight has brought the holiday road toll to 17 - more than double those of the last two years.

Motorists warned that congestion is building on Auckland's major roads as weekend shapes up to be one of the one of the busiest of the past 12 months.

It's a skier's climate-change nightmare - stabbing your poles at the melting tarseal of a hilly highway, instead of the snowy crust of an alpine trail.

A driver has been clocked at 240 km/h on the Waikato Expressway and police say driving at that 'crazy' speed takes 450m to stop.

Drivers are being asked to make alternative arrangements as heavy traffic north of Auckland creates chaos and holds up holiday plans.

With the annual summer exodus to the beach about to begin, motorists are being warned to take care while driving this festive season.

Slow-speed streets where pedestrians have the right of way have become a feature of the central city and more streets could become more pedestrian-friendly.

The morning after your Christmas party might be your downfall under new drink drive laws. Police in Hamilton have launched a blitz on drink driving in the city, in the lead-up to the holiday season.

John Key has ruled out an earlier construction date for a second harbour crossing in response to huge traffic jams which brought Auckland roads to a standstill on Saturday.

City leaders question why a crash on the harbour bridge brought Auckland to a standstill. We look at the options for easing congestion if it happened again.

It has been a bad year on the roads, with a sharp increase in deaths compared with this time last year, as well as a big rise in pedestrian fatalities.

Police have named two Pakistani men who died in a truck crash on the Crown Range Road, Queenstown, yesterday.

The number of fines issued by Auckland parking wardens for unsafe tyres has almost doubled in three years, but some councillors say the practice is 'over the top'.

What a shame Mayor Len Brown doesn't surrender to his inner revolutionary when it comes to Auckland's transport woes.

Auckland Mayor Len Brown has released a plan this morning for a $2 toll to enter the city's motorways. Is this a good idea? Send us Your Views.

One person has died after a a car and truck collided north of Auckland. It is the first road death of the long weekend.

INTERACTIVE: Many Aucklanders swear their daily commute is much faster when schools are out. The Herald puts the theory to the test.

A man is dead and three people have been injured in a two-car crash on State Highway 1 in Canterbury.