• ‘March madness’ in Auckland causes traffic congestion as students return to schools and universities.
• Rail closures and bus service pressure may worsen the situation this year.
• Authorities encourage using public transport to alleviate congestion, with preparations in place for increased demand.

By Finn Blackwell of RNZ

“March madness” has descended upon Auckland again, sending motorists in the super city into a tailspin.

Congestion peaks in the city every March, coinciding with students returning to schools and universities after the summer break.

Added rail closures and increased pressure on bus services could make for an even madder month this year.

Motorists in Auckland are familiar with the pain of sitting in traffic.

From long wait times on the harbour bridge, to gridlocked Greenlane on the Southern Motorway, it is a part of daily life for those driving in the super city.

March madness meant it was likely about to get worse.

Newmarket Business Association chief executive Mark Knoff-Thomas told RNZ his district was no stranger to traffic woes.

“We are well known for some pretty hectic traffic days in and around Newmarket based on where we are geographically. We’re kind of like the connecting hub with the east and the south into the central city area,” he said.

'March madness' traffic has begun. Photo / NZME

“Every year March is always a massive spike in traffic, and we’ve coped in the past and I’m sure we’ll cope very well again this year.”

He said he understood the frustration.

“People can get frustrated if they’re stuck in queues of traffic for too long,” Knoff-Thomas said.

“What we generally tend to say to people is ‘if it’s possible, if you possibly can use alternative means of transport to get to where you need to get to, like catch a bus or even jump on a train, it’s always a good option if you can’.”

Public transport options were hampered in 2025, with rail closures spreading across the city as the network readied for the opening of the City Rail Link.

Auckland’s Rail Network Rebuild started two years ago, and in its final stages commuters faced 96 days of train closures through to January 2026, ahead of the CRL opening.

Knoff-Thomas said that was something they were eagerly anticipating.

“I think really Newmarket is actually very well blessed with its connectivity and public transport connections with buses and trains,” he said.

“We’re in a pretty fortunate position, but we really, really want, and I can’t say that strongly enough, we really want the CRL operating as soon as humanly possible.”

Transport blogger and Greater Auckland director Matt Lowrie said alternative modes of transport played an important role in getting ahead of March Madness.

“The key to avoiding March madness or reducing the impact is for as many people as possible to use alternatives,” he said.

That meant changing when or how people travel, Lowrie said.

“Those are really key things that can help alleviate some of that pressure and make it easier to move around.”

Lowrie said it was likely to get busy.

“We should expect that there’ll be more travel occurring this year than there was last year, so that means the roads will be busier, the buses, and the trains, and the ferries will be busier than they have been in the past.

“That puts pressure on those services and on the roads to get people around, and it means that things are going to take longer or be more crowded.”

Lowrie said congestion pricing was a good, long-term option to address the issue.

“We currently pay for congestion through our time,” he said.

“Congestion pricing can put a monetary value on it, which can change people’s behaviour ...”

Auckland Transport group manager of public transport operations Rachel Cara said the public transport network was ready to help ease the strain.

“We’re well prepared for this increase in demand and we’ve been planning for it,” Cara said.

“Auckland has a well-connected, frequent public transport system that can handle the increased number of people that need to travel during March.”

Last year there were close to 400,000 trips taken on public transport in a single day, and AT were expecting similar numbers this year, said Cara.

“It will be particularly busy at peak times, and we encourage customers to use the live departures function on the AT mobile app to track their service and see how full the service is in real time.”

Those on Auckland’s roads will be hoping that preparation will make driving around town a little less mad this year.