Horse of the Year is coming up in Hawkes Bay. For commercial travellers and holidaymakers, this generates traffic congestion, with a cortege of horse floats on SH5 from Taupo and SH2 from the south pretty much all day before and after the event which runs from 10-15 March.
I have heard many stories from people who say they are driving to meet their busy schedules and come across a vehicle towing a horse float, or horse transport, driving at safe speeds for their loads, but much slower than the rest of the traffic.
They wait and wait for a passing lane on the windy highway and no sooner have they passed and hit the open road again, there is another one ahead. This continues on their journey.
Other than avoiding the area during that time, which would be a wise move, Google Maps might provide the best solution. If most people travelling on these highways have location services on and use Google Maps, they will be sharing their travel speeds with Google who can deliver congestion information back in near real-time. At the very least, you will know whether it is worth taking a coffee or lunch break along the way instead. Perhaps worth sharing with people you know might be affected.
Avoid the traffic and stress by sharing your information with Google and benefiting from others doing the same.
