Brisbane worst in Australia, top 10 in world for hours spent in traffic

One Australian city has claimed the unwanted title of the worst traffic in the country.

Motorists commuting in Brisbane spend as many as 84 hours a year stuck in traffic. File picture: Nigel Hallett

A new report shows Brisbane has the worst traffic in Australia and now cracks the top 10 most congested cities in the world.

Brisbane now ranks number 10 in the world for most hours wasted in traffic, according to leading traffic research group INRIX’s 2024 Global Traffic Scorecard.

The city landed in 12th place in 2023’s report.

And with the 2032 Olympics on the horizon experts are warning that something must change before Brisbane’s traffic nightmare is revealed on the world stage.

The average Brisbane commuter spent 84 hours in traffic in 2024 according to the report, the equivalent of two full work weeks.

At tenth place Brisbane is comfortably the most congested city in Australia with Melbourne second, ranked 21st in INRIX’s 2024 scorecard.

“The problem for Brisbane is that we’re growing rapidly, but we’re not focusing on alternatives for commuters,” said Queensland University of Technology Urban and Regional Planning lecturer Tracy Washington.

“The 2032 Games will bring huge traffic impacts to Brisbane.

“The density of locals and tourists all attending the same events will put a lot of pressure on our traffic infrastructure.

“Even a 10 per cent increase in traffic at high commute times can create large impacts for a city like Brisbane.

Improving the city’s public transport and bike lanes is Brisbane’s best chance of reducing traffic before the Olympics, according to Dr Washington.

“Once you get out of the city public transport becomes really challenging,” Dr Washington said.

“It leaves too many people in single-occupied vehicles coming into the city for work, putting pressure on our traffic infrastructure.”

Traffic has been a major hurdle in previous Olympics, but the event also create opportunities, Dr Washington said.

“Paris was a very car-centric city, but they did a lot to promote bike lanes and public transport before their Olympics last year,” Dr. Washington said.

“They created a new transit line called the Grand Paris Express, connecting the city to surrounding areas.

“It’s a system that will benefit the people of Paris long after the games, that’s something we can also aim for in Brisbane.

“But first we have to improve our infrastructure, our bus stops and our bike lane connectivity.

“People need to feel safe when taking alternative modes of transport if we want to improve traffic conditions in Brisbane.”