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Research & Analysis

New report finds traffic congestion in Australian cities getting worse

A new report by the Australian Automobile Association (AAA), and commissioned by the NRMA, has highlighted the traffic congestion problem in the country’s major cities, with speeds in Adelaide being the most sluggish, despite Sydney still remaining as the nation’s most congested city.

AAA’s Road Congestion in Australia report is based on five years of mapping and location data from all of the nation’s capital cities – measuring average speed, percentage of speed limit, free-flow speeds, percentage of free-flow speed, and variability of commute time.

According to the report, Adelaide has taken the crown with an average peak hour speed of 54.3km/h. Sydney came in second slowest, with motorists averaging speeds of 59.2km/h on its major roads. Melbourne was the next city down with average speeds of 59.9km/h, followed by Perth and Hobart. On the flip side, Darwin (72.2km/h) offered the highest average speed, ahead of Brisbane (71.5km/h) and Canberra (65.5km/h).

“Much of the added congestion was due to major projects that had started over the past five years, including the Tullamarine Freeway widening, the Metro Tunnel and level crossing removals,” Dave Jones, manager of mobility advocacy at RACV, told ABC News.

“The price of having such a backlog and years of doing nothing is that we are going to have road works and public transport works for years into the future.”

Michael Bradley, AAA chief executive, hoped the report would contribute to solutions to address the country’s congestion problem.

“This report confirms what most people living in our major cities know all too well, but we hope it also helps stimulate discussion and problem-solving so that Australia can develop smart measures to address our worsening congestion,” Bradley said.

“Business costs rise and productivity declines when workers and goods are stuck in traffic. These costs end up being passed on to consumers, feeding into our rising cost of living. Without decisive action, these congestion problems will only get worse and Australians will spend even more time in traffic.

“The Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics estimated that in 2015, congestion cost Australia $16.5 billion. AAA research also found that in 2018-19, congestion costs are expected to exceed $23 billion, which will be more than the value of all road-related expenditure.

“Without major policy changes, congestion costs were projected to reach between $27.7-$37.3 billion by 2030.”

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