The NRMA has released its annual Business Congestion Survey with fleet-running businesses now ranking Western Sydney as the worst area of the city for traffic congestion for the first time.
Now in its 16th year, the survey of 370 NRMA Business members found 87 per cent believed congestion had worsened in the last year and over half of those said their fleet spent an extra 20-30 minutes in traffic daily compared to a year ago.
For the first time, Western Sydney surpassed Sydney CBD as the area causing the most grief to drivers. South-West Sydney and the Inner-West also ranked highly.
Areas causing the most grief to drivers:
- Western Sydney (17%)
- Sydney CBD (14%)
- South-West Sydney (13%)
- Inner-West (12%)
NRMA Business provides specialised roadside assistance Australia wide, support with fleet management and corporate driver training, and an advocacy voice to almost 26,000 fleet-running businesses.
NRMA 2023 Rate Your Road survey of almost 29,000 motorists ranked Parramatta Road at Auburn as the worst road in NSW due to congestion. Four of the top 10 roads were all Western Sydney based.
The survey results found that the top impacts that increasing congestion had on businesses over the last 12 months were time wasted in traffic (79%), using more fuel (73%), paying more for tolls (54%); and time wasted looking for parking (46%).
NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said traffic congestion was a profit killer for fleet running businesses in Sydney as it added a cost burden on businesses already impacted by supply chain pressure and inflation.
“NRMA Business members have an intimate knowledge of Sydney’s roads as their fleets operate across the city daily. It is clear from this survey that they believe the days of COVID-impacted traffic in Sydney are well and truly gone,” Mr Khoury said.
“For the first time in the survey’s history Western Sydney outranked the Sydney CBD as the worst area in Sydney for traffic congestion. This presents obvious challenges for Government to ensure traffic in this critical region does not hold up businesses trying to deliver goods and services.”
More than half (51%) of NRMA Business members surveyed that have drivers in Sydney had used the M8 in the last 12 months with almost two-thirds (65%) reporting the new motorway improved traffic congestion for their fleet drivers in Sydney.
By contrast, an alarming 56 per cent of respondents with drivers using the Rozelle Interchange, believed changes to traffic conditions around the Rozelle Interchange has worsened traffic congestion.
