Holiday Traffic Hotspots To Look Out For This Summer

Parliamentary Secretary for the Illawarra and South Coast Gareth Ward MP has today announced that this holiday season is providing motorists with the information they need to better help manage their travel plans and get to their destination safely.

Mr Ward said that as Christmas approaches, we will be experiencing the busiest time of the year on our roads with hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers heading to their favourite destinations across NSW.

“Whether you’re coming from Canberra, Victoria or within NSW, we are encouraging motorists to start planning their journey ahead of time to avoid the peak bumper to bumper traffic,” he said.

“Based on the traffic flow information from the last two years, Friday 21st and Thursday 27th December are expected to be the busiest days to travel on our highways and along the coastline,” Mr Ward said.

There are a series of charts that highlight holiday traffic hotspots in Nowra, Milton, Ulladulla and Batemans Bay, showing days and times to avoid if possible.

Based on data from previous years, the peak times to travel on the South Coast where motorists can expect travel times to increase by up to 60 minutes are:

• Between 12pm and 6pm from 27th to 30th December; and
• Between 12pm and 6pm from 2nd to 3rd January.

“Although these are expected to be the peak days to travel, it’s important to remember delays will occur at the start of school holidays from 20th December through to the New Year,” he said.

“Planning your journey can make a huge difference to the experience, help you stay alert and provide a better holiday experience for everyone travelling”.

Find out how by visiting the holiday journeys webpage: rms.nsw.gov.au/holiday-journeys.

“While planning your journey, remember to include breaks along the way in our many public rest areas, or get off the highways to explore one of our local scenic towns,” Mr Ward concluded.

To find your nearest rest area, the NSW Government has an interactive rest area map to search on: rms.nsw.gov.au/roads/using-roads/trip-information/rest-areas/map.