Hot tips to help travellers keep their cool on our roads
As holidaymakers seek to embrace some spring warmth across the state, motorists heading away for the Labour Day long weekend are reminded to keep their cool behind the wheel.
Transport for NSW Executive Director Operations Management Craig Moran said routes to family holiday hotspots will be busy, and the simplest hacks to help to arrive at your destination safely is to plan your journey, take regular rest breaks and drive to conditions.
“This is one of our busiest weekends of the year, with thousands of people heading to the coast and regions to make the most of the warmer weather and the public holiday offering some extra time with friends and family, but with increased traffic comes increased risk on our roads,” Mr Moran said.
“We’re expecting traffic leaving Sydney to start building from Friday morning, with the heaviest outbound traffic forecast on the M1 Pacific Motorway and Pacific Highway heading north, the Great Western Highway heading west and the Princes Highway heading south.
“Our top tips to make it a better trip are; pack some patience, pick your playlist, and check out our journey planner before you hit the road. Also think about rest stops in advance to help your holiday get off to the smoothest start possible.
“We will be monitoring traffic at known pinch points in regional NSW like Coffs Harbour, Hexham, Blackheath, Nowra and Jervis Bay, and implementing arrangements to manage congestion as required, but motorists should still prepare for delays.
“Routes heading back towards Sydney are expected to be busiest on the public holiday Monday, with a second wave of return traffic the following weekend at the end of the school holidays on Sunday 13 October.”
Tragically, as of midnight 1 October, 254 people have lost their lives on New South Wales roads in 2024.
“I can’t stress enough if you are spending time on our road network across the holiday period please put safety first. Drive to conditions, don’t speed, wear a seatbelt, and make sure you get to your destination safely,” Mr Moran said.
Holidaymakers catching a flight from Sydney Airport should allow plenty of extra travel time and consider taking the train to avoid traffic around the terminals.
If you must drive, motorists are advised to become familiar with new connections following the recent opening of Sydney Gateway, particularly when heading to the airport via the M4 and M5. If you plan to leave your car at the airport, pre-book parking ahead of time.
Drivers around the central west over the next couple of weeks should factor in additional travel time with Bathurst roads set to be busy for the Koori Knockout from 4-7 October, and the Bathurst 1000 from 10-13 October.
For holiday traffic planning resources, tips and tools including detailed information on each pinch point, visit Transport’s holiday and journey planning page.
To find the best times to travel to your destination, use the TfNSW pinch point journey planner tool at myjourneynsw.info. For the latest traffic updates download the Live Traffic NSW app, visit livetraffic.com or call 132 701.