It's no secret that transport systems in Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty have been under immense pressure lately, with an estimated 10 per cent increase in traffic on our roads in recent months.

One of the biggest bugbears has been the state of traffic on State Highway 2, particularly heading into the city from Omokoroa in the mornings.

Residents living in Omokoroa and Te Puna will be familiar with the slow crawl which has prompted calls for change. One proposed idea is for a flyover at the Omokoroa Road/SH2 intersection, as well as four-laning the highway – but those are long-term plans.

Last month The Weekend Sun shared Glen Proctor's idea of running a water taxi between the Omokoroa Boat Club and The Strand morning and afternoon, five days a week. Anything to get more cars off the road it seems.

Further along the highway at Katikati, holidaymakers should expect to hit a chokepoint there this Christmas, with SunLive reporting several long queues of traffic over the holiday period heading into Tauranga.

However the government and NZTA have recently announced a bypass will be built, alleviating those issues at some point in the future.

But what about Tauranga itself? The city, built as it is across several peninsulas, has several chokepoints, usually near bridges or along the city's main conduit, Cameron Rd.

So what's the answer to making travelling in and around the city easier? Should we be building more roads, or encouraging people to catch the bus? What about taking tolls off Route K, or four-laning Turret Rd?

We asked our local politicians for answers – here's what they had to say.

Simon Bridges – National

Tauranga is experiencing strong growth which is fantastic for our region. There are more jobs, more people moving here and our economy is doing great. Our growing region needs continued investment in infrastructure. We've invested more infrastructure than in any other time in New Zealand's history. We've built the Bay's biggest ever roading project, the Tauranga Eastern Link, a $455 million road connecting Tauranga with the Eastern Bay.

More than 2.3 million vehicles travelled on the TEL in the year that it opened – close to 40 per cent more than predicted. We plan to continue this strong investment and have committed to $520 million in the State Highway 2 – Waihi to Tauranga and Tauranga Northern Link. We've also started work on the $120 million Baypark to Bayfair link, to name just two of the two projects we are delivering for Tauranga.

Simon is standing in Tauranga.

Angela Warren-Clark – Labour

A strong economy needs a well-connected, reliable transport network.

There's been a lack of vision and investment in our transport system across Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty. We see that in the traffic jams in and out of Papamoa, on the way to Katikati and through to Turret Rd.

The National government prioritised state highways over public transport, regional roads, ports and rail. It's time to invest in the Bay and get us moving.

Labour wants you to spend less time in traffic and more time with your families. But to do that we need a safe and efficient transport network.

We need to invest in our regional roading systems and build a vision for reliable, affordable public transport in partnership with local government.

Angela is standing in Bay of Plenty.

Clayton Mitchell – NZ First

After discussions with independent and international advisers we know inter-modal transport solutions exist. Any party that wants to work with New Zealand First has to know central government must work with local government to prioritise funding practical alternatives, making regional fuel taxes unnecessary. With fast, reliable, safe, and sustainable public transport options, transport challenges and traffic congestion will become more manageable.

Our roads need to be fit for purpose. New Zealand First will hold National to their electioneering promises of 2008 and 2011 to fully fund the four-laning of 15th Ave and Turret Rd, but we also need to make sure we're not just facilitating big money roading projects. We already have two of the three toll roads in the whole country, and New Zealand First wants to take them off Route K to relieve pressure on Cameron and Cambridge Rds.

Clayton is standing in Tauranga.

Emma-Leigh Hodge – Greens

We must diversify our transport options and move away from such reliance on private vehicle use. Tauranga's layout makes this a difficult task but for too long we have had a government that is not interested in taking up the challenge. Four-laning Turret Rd represents a temporary reprieve at best, the old mantra ‘build it and they will come' has evidently been lost somewhere along the way.

The Green Party will ensure adequate funding of alternative transport options, including buses where we will work with regional councils to improve bus priority measures on all main roads, including connections such as Turret Rd. A fuel tax may be an option for the region but this must be paired with viable alternatives to private vehicle use and the Green's priority is bringing these to fruition. We have a beautiful city for walking and cycling – we will work on making these options accessible.

Emma-Leigh is standing in Tauranga.

Rusty Kane – Independent

Our reliance on and the dominance of private vehicles in Tauranga is the highest in the country and this will continue for the foreseeable future. Future technologies, driverless cars, and new car navigation systems will have the biggest impact in reducing traffic congestion. The government has pledged $520 million over the next decade for roading projects such as the Northern Link bypass, but this needs to be extended/brought forward with extra funding for a safe on-road, off-road exit intersection at Omokoroa.

Local government needs to implement more multi-modal transport options, like Mark Wassung's Transport Network ideas, combined with a water taxi service. The government needs to keep their promise of funding for four-laning Turret Rd with room for pedestrian/cycle, emergency service and bus lanes extended through to the CBD. The Route K tolls should be removed to ease congestion on other inner city arterial routes, i.e. Cameron/Cambridge Rds.

Rusty is standing in Tauranga.