Traffic jams

Continuing on in a similar vein as our previous summer holiday themed posts, we thought we would focus on another common experience from the New Zealand summer holidays: traffic jams.

Hopefully you've managed to avoid them over the past few weeks, but if not this selection of images will help add some levity to your memory if you did encounter one.

As these photographs show, traffic jams over the summer holidays are not just a recently occurring phenomenon.

Ref: Traffic jam on Upper Symonds Street, 1920s, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 589-58.

Not an image of a traffic jam per se, but one doesn't look too far off for the other holiday-makers on the West Coast Road that summer's day:

Ref: E.M. Ansenne for the Auckland Weekly News, Mixed pleasure of holiday-making, 7 January 1915, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19150107-48-3.

It’s important to remember that the holiday traffic in New Zealand isn't only restricted to humans:

Ref: Auckland Weekly News, A "traffic problem" familiar to touring motorists at the holiday season in New Zealand, 11 December 1929, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19291211-45-1.

Ref: Staff Photographer for the Auckland Weekly News, A North Auckland "traffic problem.", 19 April 1928, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS-19280419-45-2.

Ref: Auckland Weekly News, The holiday traffic, 7 January 1909, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS19090107-16-6.

Ref: G. Weigel for the Auckland Weekly News, A traffic "hold-up" during the Easter Season on the Main South Road, Canterbury, 19 April 1928, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, AWNS19280419-40-2.

Below are a couple of examples of traffic jams on Auckland's Southern Motorway over the years from the Footprints database:

Ref: Slow-moving traffic on the Southern Motorway, March 1969, photograph reproduced courtesy of Fairfax Media, South Auckland Research Centre, Auckland Libraries, Footprints 00105.

Ref: Traffic problems, Southern Motorway, March 1985, photograph reproduced courtesy of Fairfax Media, South Auckland Research Centre, Footprints 00586.

Here is an image of the Transport Minister, Rob Storey, opening the Bombay Hills extension to the Southern Motorway, in 1993, which was opened to reduce accidents as well as travel times which were not uncommonly over two hours during holiday periods, according to a 2008 NZTA report on Auckland’s motorways. The effectiveness of this is perhaps best discussed over on Transport blog.

Ref: 'Minister predicts drop in Bombay crashes', 8 May 1993, photograph reproduced courtesy of Fairfax Media, South Auckland Research Centre, Footprints 03402.

In addition to the Motorways and State Highways, popular holiday spots also tend to have to endure many more cars than they are used to:

Ref: GB Scott Publications Limited, Kaitaia Main Street, Northland, New Zealand, 1970s, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 996-1004-1.

If you are still on holiday or have chosen to take a break later on in summer, remember to drive safely. And if you are caught in a traffic jam it’s a great opportunity to get through an audiobook or podcast which are, of course, available free from Auckland Libraries.

Ref: Auckland City Council, Showing an Auckland City Council traffic..., 1964, Sir George Grey Special Collections, Auckland Libraries, 580-11056.

Author: Andrew Henry