Brisbane’s Bruce Highway is notorious for congestion Picture Supplied
Aussies are losing nearly two days and 11 hours of their life stuck in traffic each year just commuting to and from work – and it is costing each one about $2788.
And as home buyers are pushed further and further out due to soaring house and unit prices, it is only going to get worse.
Commuters in Australia’s most expensive property market – Sydney – are spending on average four days and 25 minutes in gridlock each year, according to new research from car insurance comparsion experts at iSelect.
It is snails pace in Sydney Picture: NewsWire / John Appleyard
The research team analysed ABS and Census data on commute distances, working days and work-from-home rates.
Congestion data was then used to compare rush-hour travel times against optimal conditions to reveal the time lost to traffic for eleven major cities.
Average travel time. Delayed Drivers report. iSelect
Hot on the heels of Sydney was Melbourne, with commuters there losing, on average, three days, 22 hours and five minutes each year, or about 33 minutes and 22 seconds a day.
Storms cause massive traffic congestion in Melbourne. Picture: Josie Hayden
Adelaide came in third spot with three days, five hours and 50 minutes lost each year, proving that not even a prayer in the City of Churches can ease traffic woes.
Rounding out the top five cities with the worst commutes were Brisbane (3 days, 1 hour and 46 minutes) and Perth (2 days, 21 hours and 35 minutes).
Also making the top worst cities for congestion were Newcastle, Gold Coast, Hobart, Canberra, Wollongond and Darwin.
“In Australia’s 11 largest cities, full-time workers who drive collectively lose about 212 million hours a year to traffic, costing around $9.7 billion in lost time and an extra $462 million on fuel,” the Delayed Drivers report said.
“Overall, commuting congestion costs exceed $10.1 billion annually. That’s a significant figure!”
MORE NEWS: Building costs to soar up to 10pc cent per year
New boom regions: Where to buy now before prices explode
Don’t write off RBA rate cuts yet
Aussie cities that spend the most time in traffic. Delayed Drives. iSelect
The report said that when it comes to time lost sitting in traffic, “Sydney takes the cake”.
“Despite having the fifth-shortest average commute distance (20.6 km), Sydney’s full-time workers spend the most time stuck behind the wheel each year, with over four full working days lost to congestion,” the report revealed.
“Sydneysiders work from home an average of 1.3 days a week, one of the highest of the cities analysed, yet that still hasn’t eased the gridlock.
“Daily round-trip commutes that should take around 1 hour and 5 minutes in optimal conditions stretch out to an average of 1 hour and 40 minutes during rush hour, leading to more than 34 minutes being lost to traffic per day, per road user.
“Melbourne follows closely behind, with drivers losing just a few hours less to commuting traffic over the year.
“On average, Melbourne commuters spend 33 minutes extra per day in traffic compared to free-flow conditions, equating to nearly four days lost annually.
“Meanwhile, Darwin enjoys the smoothest drives, with less than a day and a half of total time lost annually.
“Across Australia’s major cities, the average driver loses around two and a half days each year sitting in traffic, time that could be better spent doing almost anything else.”
Delayed Drives. iSelect
But it is Adelaide drivers who grapple with the most congestion during rush hour, with a 10km round-trip taking 55 minutes and 45 seconds on average.
It was followed by Melbourne (54 mins, 15 sec), Sydney (56 mins, 15 sec), Brisbane (49 mins, 13 secs) and the Gold Coast (46 mins, 25 sec).
“During morning and evening peaks, Adelaide drivers crawl through the city at an average speed of around 21 to 22 kilometres per hour, turning what should be a 33-minute round trip into almost 56 minutes,” the report said.
“At the other end of the scale, Darwin and Wollongong enjoyed the easiest commutes in the city, with travel times that were less than eight minutes slower than in free-flow conditions.
“Across all major cities, the average driver spent about 15 minutes extra per day in traffic compared to optimal travel times.”
Congestion costs. Delayed Drivers report. iSelect
English (US) · 