Traffic congestion forcing more Adelaide drivers to catch public transport or ride a bike to work

TRAFFIC congestion is forcing Adelaide drivers to reconsider how they get to work — despite historic reluctance to use public transport.

• The bus, train and tram services more likely to run late
• We’re feeling less safe on public transport
• Peak-hour growing as more kids won’t walk to school
• North Tce / King William St intersection reopens
• Adelaide tram right turn on North Terrace would cost $37m

TRAFFIC congestion is forcing Adelaide drivers to reconsider how they get to work, despite historic reluctance to use public transport.

More than 60 per cent of Adelaide commuters would be willing to change their travelling habits to help ease road congestion and 53 per cent had already considered doing so, according to a report on traffic in Australia’s five largest cities.

With 400,000 cars on the road in a growing city, more Adelaide workers are considering taking public transport, cycling or changing their work times to avoid peak hours.

Almost 79 per cent of Adelaide commuters drive to work — the highest rate in the five big cities, according to the report for mapping and traffic data company HERE Technologies.

HERE Technologies Oceania product management and operations head Sunny Wijewardana said the number of Adelaide residents shunning public transport in favour of driving was “staggering”.

Commuters give up on the bus and walk into the city during another traffic jam caused by the tram line extension along North Terrace. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

“There is a lot of investment going into Adelaide’s public transport but ... only 16 per cent of the people that we interviewed actually commute by bus, train or tram and that is the lowest out of any major cities that we looked at,’’ he said.

The study found residents of some suburbs could get to work quicker if they left the car at home. For example, people near Edinburgh North could cut a morning commute to the city from 45 minutes to 34 minutes by catching the train.

A survey undertaken for the study found one quarter of Adelaide drivers would be willing to use public transport more often and a similar number were interested in working flexible hours.

Nearly one in five would be willing to drive to a transport hub and then catch a train, tram or bus and 9 per cent would like to cycle.

Almost 10 per cent of Adelaide drivers used real-time traffic updates before deciding how to get to work or choosing a driving route.

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Stephen Mullighan said public transport use was growing in SA.

“Over the past five years we have seen a huge increase in the number of South Australians using public transport, with over 74 million journeys taken last financial year,’’ he said.

“We are investing in projects like the electrification of the Gawler line ... to encourage even more.”