Ranked: Sydney traffic bottlenecks that drive motorists bonkers

The Rozelle interchange has enraged the inner west since it opened two weeks ago but there are many other bottlenecks that have been causing headaches for commuters for years.

It’s Sydney’s harbourside playground, yet getting to it can be anything but relaxing.

The Rozelle interchange “spaghetti junction” has enraged the inner west since it opened two weeks ago but there are many other bottlenecks that have been causing headaches for commuters for years.

The Sunday Telegraph had plenty of time to chat to people trying to get to Barangaroo past the nightmare that is the intersection of Erskine and Shelley streets.

Among them was Daisy Cullen, who saw what should be a 10-minute trip take a good half-hour.

“I drive around here every day into and out of work,” Ms Cullen said. “We tried to get to a meeting earlier in the day and it took us 30 minutes to get up to Phillip St.”

Uber driver Simon Armstrong said congestion was getting far worse throughout Sydney.

“I drive wherever the app takes me, but this area is always poor,” Mr Armstrong said from within the scrum leading up to Sussex St. “I don’t pay attention to what the government are up to but it’s getting worse.”

Daisy Cullen caught up in heavy traffic leaving Barangaroo. Picture: David Swift

“Today it has been very bad,” added Alex, a driver working for the Adina Hotel in Darling Harbour.

Exclusive NRMA data found that 78 per cent of the shuttle and courier drivers with the association were regularly being slowed down by congestion.

One in five cited the CBD as the worst section of Sydney’s roads when it comes to congestion; 14 per cent ranked Western Sydney highest; followed by 13 per cent for the inner west and 10 per cent for both the southwest and eastern suburbs.

The state government is trying to improve things but things are moving slower than Sydney traffic.

Construction is now underway on an urgent extra lane on the Rozelle Interchange.

“It wouldn’t surprise anybody that the CBD continues to be the biggest choke point in Sydney, but the research that we did was a bit earlier this year, no doubt the inner west would now feature prominently having seen what’s happened over the last two or three weeks,” NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done. A lot of the changes to traffic in the Sydney CBD has had an adverse effect and continues to have an adverse effect for people coming in and out of the city.”

Canterbury Rd and New Canterbury Rd are among the most infamous road into the city. Through Dulwich Hill, Transport for NSW has widened pavements and brought in a new right turn bay to return flow in the area.

As part of the government’s Urban Roads Pinch Point Program, three different sections of the Great Western Highway have needed improvements, with government estimates promising to save motorists three-and-a-half hours in the right circumstances. The road has three different major bottlenecks, at Doonside Rd and Brabham Dr, Reservoir Rd, and Blacktown Rd.

Parramatta Rd has been a chronic bottleneck through Sydney. Recent changes claim to save 24 minutes in the best conditions of afternoon peak hour, but a number of right turn lanes were added to reduce “driver impatience and risk-taking associated with red light running”.

Burwood’s Shaftesbury Rd carries much of the same problems as Parramatta Rd but an extra southbound lane has cut a half-hour off commuters’ journeys.

Military Rd is one of the worst traffic snarls in Sydney. Picture: Adam Ward

The NRMA predicted Pyrmont’s Sydney Fish Market will soon be a vortex for congested traffic, as the Victoria Road entry feels the strain of City West Link.

“It’s one of the key gateways in and out of the fish market, so we’re very worried about how things are going to go in a couple of weeks’ time when people are trying to get in and out of the number one most visited tourist destination,” Mr Khoury said.

“We’re two weeks out from Christmas, it’s always a busy time of year and anyone who’s tried to get anywhere near the city would be able to tell you it has been difficult.

“We need to finish the motorway network, we need to look at measures to reduce pinch point areas, and also continue to invest in public transport to give people viable options.”

Transport for NSW has committed $300 million to the Pinch Point Program in an effort to ease congestion.

The project targets 32 road corridors across 10 years – which is also how long it feels like it takes for some commuters to get home.

“Congestion-busting programs aim to reduce traffic delays, manage congestion and improve travel times on Sydney’s major roads, particularly during weekday peak periods,” a Transport for NSW Spokesman said.