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Queenstown traffic and congestion: what the studies and data show

Queenstown's traffic problem has been forecast for nearly two decades. In 2007 the joint Wakatipu Transportation Strategy warned that, if nothing changed, Frankton Road (SH6A) would carry bumper-to-bumper traffic averaging 20 km/h by 2026, and that private cars alone could not meet future growth (QTS-001).

By 2019 the practical capacity of SH6A was exceeded on 140 days of the year. The 2020 Queenstown Business Case set a target that 40% of SH6A trips must be non-car by 2028, rising to 60% by 2048 (QTS-059).

In July 2026 the Mayor said the network still fails even if every currently identified intervention is delivered, and set up the Mayoral Transport Taskforce (QTS-161). NZTA's Queenstown Strategic Network Plan, published in August 2026, sets out a staged 30-year approach. It makes best use of existing infrastructure, moves more people in less space and actively manages demand, and it includes an investment case for offline public transport between Frankton and Queenstown (QTS-130).

The figures below are NZTA's traffic counts from the dashboard. The records list the studies behind the forecasts and targets.

Headline figures

These are the NZTA figures on the dashboard. This page does not recalculate them.

SH6A Frankton Rd
28,921 vehicles/dayJuly 2026. 4.1% compared with the same month a year earlier. Data to 23 August 2026.
SH6 Kawarau Falls Bridge
23,146 vehicles/dayJuly 2026. 5.4% compared with the same month a year earlier. Data to 20 September 2026.
SH6 Frankton (NE of SH6/6A junction)
29,352 vehicles/dayAugust 2026. 0.6% compared with the same month a year earlier. Data to 20 September 2026.
SH6 west of Shotover Bridge
27,896 vehicles/dayJuly 2026. 1.2% compared with the same month a year earlier. Data to 20 September 2026.
SH6 Ladies Mile
19,611 vehicles/dayAugust 2026. 1.9% compared with the same month a year earlier. Data to 20 September 2026.
SH6 south of Peninsula Rd
19,556 vehicles/dayAugust 2026. 7.1% compared with the same month a year earlier. Data to 20 September 2026.
SH6A Stanley St
14,505 vehicles/dayAugust 2026. 11.7% compared with the same month a year earlier. Data to 20 September 2026.
SH6A Frankton Rd busiest hour, 2024
2,241 vehiclesMedian of the busiest hour. Most common start hour 5 pm. Same NZTA baseline as the dashboard.

Key records

86 records

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