Gold Coast Highway rated the road that causes most stress to city’s drivers

A new study has revealed the road that really causes stress levels to surge in Gold Coast drivers. And it’s not the M1.

Most talk about road trouble on the Gold Coast – and how to fix it – invariably centres on the M1.

It’s why the state government is spending billions not just on upgrades to the motorway, but on the Coomera Connector, which is designed to alleviate some of the problems.

But a novel study from Budget Direct has shown that the M1 may not actually be the road that causes most angst in drivers.

Using an “academic sentiment analysis tool” called TensiStrength to measure the stress level of geotagged tweets about driving, the insurer’s study suggested the most rage-inducing road to drive on is the Gold Coast Highway.

More than half of drivers were found to be stressed, worse even than at the notorious Bruce Highway.

Traffic crawls along Gold Coast Highway in Southport. Picture: Scott Fletcher.

In March the Bulletin reported that, with traffic volumes having doubled in just the past seven years, some southern Gold Coast residents felt they were “prisoners in their own postcode” at weekends.

Many will have had the experience again over the two weeks of the Easter school holidays, when the highway and surrounding roads were frequently thronged.

One person reported taking an hour to complete what was normally a 10-minute journey.

Another said traffic was so bad that the whole of southeast Queensland was now “becoming unlikeable”.

“Too many cars, people and traffic everywhere,” they said. “The infrastructure just isn’t here.”

Even outside holiday periods, traffic on many parts of the Gold Coast Highway can be shocking.

RACQ data reveals that in February this year, average speeds on the stretch of highway northbound from Pacific Ave in Miami to Pacific Fair in Broadbeach were 21km/h in the morning and 20km/h in the evening.

West Burleigh Rd was even worse, recording average speeds as low as 17km/h.

Even with roadworks, the M1 is rarely that bad.

Yet the M1 gets all the headlines – and the lion’s share of the dollars.

How the light rail will look at the Gold Coast Highway in Mermaid Beach. Render from Queensland Government

Light rail construction works add to the traffic woes in the short term, but the Burleigh line will undoubtedly make a difference when completed. It was notable how many times bus services along the highway were heavily delayed over Easter due to congestion and minor crashes – an issue far less likely to affect trams.

But there is surely more that can be done to help road traffic.

There are some potential upgrades where the need has been obvious for many years, such as at the notorious junction with Pine Ridge Rd at the road’s northern end.

It remains unclear when that upgrade might happen. In response to a question from Bonney MP Sam O’Connor last month, Transport Minister Mark Bailey said that although his department hoped to be able to present plans to the community by the end of the year, there was no funding yet allocated and thus no timeframe for construction.

In other areas the room is far tighter. But could the busy junction of West Burleigh Rd and the highway be upgraded, for instance? Are there areas where an extra turning lane could be squeezed in, making a crucial difference? Could traffic lights along the Highway be far better synchronised? What might be done to alleviate the daily hell on Reedy Creek Rd and West Burleigh Rd?

The work being done on the southern stretch of the M1 looks impressive. It should be a joy to drive when completed.

The Coomera Connector will help with the pinch points in the north.

But as this city continues to grow, attention must turn next to our other major thoroughfares such as the Gold Coast Highway – the road that actually creates greatest frustration among locals.

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