Take extra care on the road this Easter

With wet weather expected over the Easter break for parts of the state, holidaymakers are reminded the best recipe for a safe and smooth long weekend away is to plan your trip. 
 
Transport for NSW Acting Chief Customer Officer Roger Weeks said as the Easter long weekend falls outside of NSW school holidays this year, demand on our roads will peak on Thursday and Monday. 
 
“We know from previous years where Easter hasn’t aligned with school holidays, that heavy traffic starts to build on Thursday afternoon as school and work wrap up for the week and will continue into the Good Friday public holiday,” Mr Weeks said. 
 
“With more cars on the road, and potentially wet conditions along routes to popular holiday hot spots, we’re reminding people there will be an increased risk on our roads.
 
“Be flexible, plan your trip and check the forecast before you set off. That extra check could save a lot of time and stress by helping to avoid driving through storms or in the heaviest traffic.”
 
There will be extra eyes in the sky this long weekend, marking the first Easter break Transport for NSW has deployed drones to monitor traffic at key pinch points on the network. 
 
Mr Weeks said this aerial advantage allows teams to keep a close eye on the network and manage traffic flow. 
 
“We’ll have traffic monitoring drones up keeping an eye on conditions along key routes, relaying live information back to the Transport Management Centre to help identify and clear issues quickly,” Mr Weeks said.  
 
“We actively push real-time updates out to Live Traffic and navigation apps, but people can stay one step ahead by avoiding travel at peak times. 
 
“Easter marks the start of the autumn break for public schools in Queensland and Victoria, so roads on the state borders will be busy as holidaymakers head to NSW.  
 
“Major events will draw crowds so motorists should expect increased traffic around Sydney Olympic Park for the Sydney Royal Easter show and on the Pacific Motorway through Tyagarah for Bluesfest in Byron Bay.  
 
“Heavy traffic is also expected around Sydney Airport with delays expected at Southern Cross Drive and O'Riordan Street. 
 
“Return traffic will start building from the 1 April Easter Monday public holiday as people head back home to return to work and school on Tuesday.” 
 
Traffic pinch points are expected on the Pacific Highway at Wahroonga, Coffs Harbour, Hexham and Tugun in the north, Blackheath on the Great Western Highway, Pheasants Nest on the Hume Highway and at Nowra, Jervis Bay, Milton and Ulladulla on the Princes Highway down south. 
 
Traffic volumes are expected to swell again when NSW School Holidays kick off in mid-April and ahead of Anzac Day on Thursday 25 April. 
 
Transport for NSW Chief of the Centre for Road Safety and Maritime Safety, Bernard Carlon reminded motorists that double demerits will be in place for all speeding, seatbelt, helmet and mobile phone offences between 28 March and 1 April. 
 
“Tragically as of midnight 26 March 2024, 81 people have lost their lives on New South Wales roads so far this year, which is 12 more than for the same time last year.” Mr Carlon said.
  
“With extra cars on the road, it’s important to prioritise safety. Please stick to the speed limit, wear your seatbelt or helmet, take plenty of rest stops, drive to the conditions and never drive if you’re affected by drugs or alcohol. We don’t want to see anyone’s holiday end in tragedy.” 
 
For resources and tools to help you plan your trip, visit https://www.nsw.gov.au/holidayplanning and for the latest real-time traffic information download the Live Traffic NSW app or visit https://www.livetraffic.com.