Drivers are being warned to expect 40-minute queues today, with traffic analysts expecting crowds of up to 20,000 a day to visit the store – IKEA’s first in New Zealand.
They’re predicting a 40-minute crawl on the nearby motorway and another 40 minutes to find a car park.
The store opens at 11am, while the carpark was opened to shoppers at 8.30am.
An RNZ reporter at the store estimated around 200 people to have gathered outside.
“We chose to open at 11am so that we avoid the morning traffic,” IKEA’s NZ manager Johanna Cederlöf said.
Google Maps shows traffic currently flowing fairly freely around the area, with a 16-minute trip from Auckland CBD.
RNZ spoke to Bernie who had driven over two and a-half hours from Papamoa specifically for the opening, saying he and his wife had waited six years for it.
What will the roads be like?
Auckland Transport and NZTA have encouraged road users to plan ahead for the day and allow plenty of extra time for their journeys.
Auckland Transport Operations Centre (ATOC) Manager Claire Howard said substantial crowds were expected at IKEA for weeks or even months which would have a substantial effect on the transport network across Auckland.
“Surrounding streets in Mt Wellington will also be busy, with forecast delays of up to 40 minutes on Mt Wellington Highway in peak traffic.”
ATOC – a joint Auckland Transport and NZTA venture for managing the network in real time – has been working with the retail giant to ensure their traffic management plan minimises the traffic impact as much as possible. It would be actively managing light signals and diverting traffic where possible as congestion levels increase.
Congestion was expected to be at its worst during peak hour during the week and on Saturdays between 1 and 4pm – particularly heading northbound from South Auckland toward Mt Wellington.
Staff would be on the ground at Sylvia Park Train Station to help direct people to the store who were travelling by train.
Cederlöf said anyone who wasn’t in Auckland or who wanted to avoid the opening day crowds could shop online from midnight.
