Congestion Continues to Cost Australians
Does your daily commute to work feel as though it has increased over the last few years? You are now probably thinking about why you leave 30 minutes earlier to beat peak hour traffic, skipping breakfast to make that bus or sacrificing that extra 10 minutes of sleep to catch the 7:15 am train to avoid shoulder to shoulder carriages. Well to put it all into perspective, a report released by Tourism & Transport Forum and LEK Consulting, features Perth’s growing congestion woe with an addition of up to 25 minutes to your daily commute to work.
The report analyses the transport networks across Australia and has found a rising congestion in all states with Perth ranked at 105 most congested cities in the world. Unfortunately, if you are someone who drives to the CBD each day then you are going to be greatly affected as the statistics show there has been a steady decline in public transport taken and an increase in cars on the road.
Let the statistics speak for themselves.
How far do we travel?
The average commute varies across each state with Perthians in the metro area having travel up to 15.7km on average. This puts Perth in 4th place with Brisbane claiming first prize with an average of 17.4km, Melbourne close 2nd at 16.8km and Sydney with 16.5km. The rest of Australia seems to have a smaller distance travelled with ACT at 14.4km, Hobart at 13.8km, Adelaide at 13.5 and Darwin at 13.1km.
Modes of transport
As a Perthian, nothing says ‘wake me up’ more than sitting in peak-hour traffic listening to mix 92.9 play the same Taylor Swift song four times by the time I make it into the CBD. In Perth up to 83% of commuters prefer driving in, compared with 84% in Hobart and Adelaide, 80% in Brisbane, 74% in Melbourne, 66 % in Sydney and 83% in ACT.
In Perth a meagre 12% took public transport, Sydney comes in at a huge 27% for public transport which is no surprise as we all know how expensive it is to live in the Sydney CBD. Melbourne sitting at just under 20%, Brisbane at 14%, Adelaide at 11%, Hobart at 7%, Darwin at 11% and the ACT at 9%.
When it comes to ‘active transport’, Perth is dead last with a meagre 3.5%. The states with the highest percentage of active transport are the ACT and Hobart, 9% and 8% respectively. Unfortunately, being based 35km away from the Perth CBD, taking a walk simply doesn’t cut it.
How much is it costing us?
LEK Consulting senior partner Simon Barret said “increasing congestion levels in Australia are estimated to cost $16.5 billion to metropolitan cities – $6 billion in private time costs, $8 billion in business time costs, $1.5 billion in extra vehicle operating costs and $1 billion in additional air pollution costs”.
It’s obvious that without a solution to this madness, Australia will continue to fall behind the 8 ball as the cost of congestion continues to create a negative impact on our lives.
Your safety on the road matters to us. Your commute journey might seem to be under control after a while but accidents and break downs still can occur. Western Australia has its fair share of dangerous roads and intersections, including in Perth.
Besides being wary of your environment, make sure your car is regularly checked and that your windscreen structure and vision isn’t compromised with chips or cracks as it would represent a risk to you. if it is, consider replacing your windscreen.