Infuriating reason why Christmas traffic is so bad

There’s nothing festive about Christmas season traffic. It has got so bad some people are considering moving homes to avoid congestion – and it’s because of one infuriating reason.

Slow going: Peak hour traffic is nothing to celebrate.

Running late to work because of traffic? Blame phone addicts. A comprehensive survey into traffic congestion across NSW and the ACT by the NRMA has found that almost two-thirds of people surveyed have witnessed the illegal and highly frustrating behaviour of people using their mobile phones at traffic lights.

It’s a sure-fire way to find yourself on every driver’s naughty list and is causing traffic jams during the Christmas period.

NRMA spokesperson Peter Khoury said glancing at a phone while at the lights can have a huge knock on effect on traffic flow.

“To put it into context, if you’re sitting at the front and if you’re the second car behind the car at the front of the queue and they’re playing on their phone and the lights turn green and they don’t go because they’re on their phone, it can give the impression that there’s less traffic on the roads than there are. And then that can change the timing of the traffic lights, which can then have an adverse effect on congestion,” Mr Khoury said.

The survey of 1325 people found 63 per cent of people had witnessed mobile phone use at traffic lights, which slows down traffic flow and can also impact the synchronisation of traffic lights.

It’s not just illegal: using your phone at traffic lights can put the lights out of sync. Picture: AAP

Last year, more than 216,000 fines for illegal phone use were issued across NSW, with the annoying habit having knock-on effects on drivers’ quality of life.

In the lead-up to the busy Christmas shopping period, the research found that 43 per cent of drivers changed where they shop to avoid congestion, 82 per cent of drivers avoid travelling during peak hours, 50 per cent are often running late, and 42 per cent have changed where they eat out.

Congestion could also be causing social isolation, with 34 per cent saying they have

declined a social activity and stayed home, and 27 per cent said congestion makes it harder to participate in social activities.

Mr Khoury said that as the countdown to Christmas ramped up, motorists should expect higher-than-usual congestion around shopping and entertainment precincts, parking stations, and beaches.

“Traffic volumes have more than returned to pre-Covid levels and as people are frantically trying to get their Christmas shopping done it’s crucial we plan for trips to take longer,” Mr Khoury said.

“It is also obviously critical that we don’t add to these congestion woes – you would be hard-pressed to find anything on our roads as frustrating as a motorist sitting at traffic lights playing on their phone, seemingly oblivious to the impact they are having on traffic flow – this stupid behaviour must stop.”

Some drivers have considered moving homes due to escape bad traffic. Picture: Damian Shaw

Congestion is also affecting public transport – over one-third of people have caught a bus at least once a month with the with 51 per cent of responders reporting buses running late due to congestion.

For some drivers, the traffic has become so bad they are considering moving homes all together to avoid jams.

The survey found that 15 per cent of respondents have considered moving to an area with less congestion.

Originally published as Infuriating reason why Christmas traffic is so bad