With hot weather predicted this October long weekend, which falls in the middle of the school holidays, authorities say holidaymakers and residents are expected to flock to the coast.
For those heading away, congestion is expected to start building on Friday morning and continue into Saturday, with two hotspots in the Shoalhaven listed among the traffic hotspots.
Police will be out enforcing double demerits, which be in operation from 12.01am Friday September 29 to 11.59pm Monday October 2 for all speeding, seatbelt and mobile phone offences.
Transport for NSW (TfNSW) Head of Transport Safety Peter Dunphy said road deaths across NSW were up for this time of year, with almost one death of every day of the year so far.
"Tragically, as of midnight 27 September, 265 people have lost their lives on NSW roads so far this year which is 61 more than for the same time last year," he said.
"With more people on the road it's really important people stick to the speed limit, make sure they're well rested, put the phone away and never ever drive if affected by drugs or alcohol."
Eight people died on NSW roads over the October long weekend in 2022.
TfNSW Acting Chief Customer Officer Roger Weeks said people heading away should know where they intend take breaks and when to set off to best avoid the busiest travel times.
"Thousands of people will be heading to the coast which will inevitably lead to delays across the network," Mr Weeks said.
"Trends from previous years tell us that traffic will start building from Friday morning and continue into Saturday as people head off to their destinations."
He said there would be traffic hotspots up and down the coast, including at Nowra and Jervis Bay.
"The heaviest outbound traffic is forecast on the M1 Pacific Motorway and Pacific Highway heading north, the Great Western Highway heading west and the Hume Motorway and Princes Highways heading south," he said.
"We're expecting routes heading back towards Sydney to be busiest on the public holiday Monday, with a second wave of return traffic on at the end of the school holidays on Sunday October 8."
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
