WELLINGTONIANS may have felt a lot of movement during today’s quake, but drivers trying to leave the city were going nowhere in a hurry.
The magnitude of 6.6 earthquake, which struck at 2.31pm, sent many in the central city in a panic after buildings were evacuated.
People trying to leave the city at the same time led to massive traffic jams around the Wakefield Street and Cambridge Terrace area.
Those taking the more sensible option of walking were seen ignoring safe road-crossing procedures and walking among the traffic.
Others appeared to have given up on the idea of fleeing the city any time soon and took to open pubs in droves.
The traffic jams held up emergency respondents (see video) as they struggled to carve a path in the traffic and drivers found it difficult to make room.
The increase of traffic on central Wellington roads directly after the quake was significantly more than July’s 6.5 quake, which occurred on a Sunday.
Today’s quake, however, caught the city still full of workers.
Like the July earthquake, damage in the city appeared to be largely superficial, with some restaurants having to close early to clean up from stock falling off shelves.