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Same Story, Different Day: Sydney's Congestion Woes Unchanged In Five Years


Same Story, Different Day: Sydney's Congestion Woes Unchanged In Five Years

Author: NRMA MediaDate: 09 December 2008

Today's Auditor-General's Report confirmed what all Sydney motorists already knew - Sydney's roads are consistently congested and have not improved at all in the past five years.

NRMA Motoring & Services President Alan Evans said today's report clearly illustrates why road infrastructure needed to be built - sooner rather than later.

"It illustrates a chronic failure by the NSW Government to invest in Sydney's road network and motorists are the ones who suffer," Mr Evans said.

"In the morning, peak speeds across Sydney's seven arterial links have come down four kilometres per hour over the past five years so it's now taking even longer for motorists to drive to their destination.

"The news is just as dire for afternoon motorists. The 2008 average of 43 km/h represents just a two km/h improvement in the past five years.

"This is a clear failure by the NSW Government's behalf to fix Sydney's congestion problems.

"No motorist using Victoria Road in morning peak hours deserves to travel at an average of just 23 km/h - a whopping 37 kilometres per hour below the speed limit.

"The M5/Eastern Distributor is already a mess, costing motorists and businesses millions of dollars every time there is a full tunnel closure.

"If this wasn't enough for motorists to swallow, averaging just 34 kilometres per hour during morning peak hours is a real slap in the face on a motorway signposted mostly at 80-100 kilometres per hour - and this is touted as one of the "fastest" of the seven corridors in morning peak.

"The NRMA wants the NSW Government to come straight out and clearly state exactly what their commitment is to increase average peak hour speeds along these seven corridors."

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