A section of Auckland's southern motorway is the most congested piece of road in the country, according to a traffic monitoring company.

The SUNA Traffic Channel analysed major metropolitan roads using data from thousands of vehicles carrying GPS systems earlier this year. Five of the top 10 most congested roads were in Auckland.

And the results may mean changes for motorists to help ease congestion.

The southern motorway between the southeastern highway and the Ellerslie-Panmure highway exit was top of the list, followed by the section of the northwestern motorway between Great North Rd and Rosebank Rd and a section of the northern motorway between Tristram Ave and Constellation Dr.

Also making the top 10 were the section of the southwestern motorway from  Rimu Rd to Neilson St (eighth) and the section of the southeastern highway from Waipuna Rd to Ti Rakau Dr (ninth).

SUNA Traffic Channel chief executive Adam Game said the company hoped the analysis would allow drivers to better prepare for journeys.

"The core issue is the size of the city, so as cities become larger it becomes more challenging and ultimately impossible to avoid road congestion," he said.

Game said he was not surprised Auckland had five roads in the top 10 because of the rapid rate of urban sprawl and the number of cars in the city.

One way to manage congestion was by having more motorists know what route they should take by using GPS technology.

"Cities cannot afford to keep building new roads nor do they have the space," he said.

"Increasingly cities are looking towards technology.''

NZ Transport Agency's regional traffic manager Kathryn Musgrave said the organisation works closely with Auckland Transport to ensure roads in Auckland are running as smoothly as possible.

Musgrave said plans are underway to help ease congestion at the Ellerslie-Panmure exit.

"We are planning a fourth lane at the Greenlane interchange," she said.

"When they opened the new Ellerslie railway station they shifted it so there would be space for an extra lane.

"We have already put in a number of measures to help with congestion, particularly during peak times," she said.

"One is the opening of the Victoria Park Tunnel, the other is new ramp signals to manage the number of vehicles entering the motorway network."

- © Fairfax NZ News

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