New data reveals where traffic is worse than before the pandemic
Traffic in the heart of Melbourne is beginning to soar past pre-pandemic levels.
Victoria
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Traffic levels in the heart of Melbourne are beginning to rise above pre-pandemic levels, in a worrying sign for congestion in the city.
A massive data collection effort by software firm Intelematics has revealed busy corridors such as Queens Road and King Street are once again carrying hundreds of thousands of vehicles a day.
But traffic is also worse on Kings Way, Spencer Street and Punt Road — those routes are recording more vehicle movements than they did in 2019.
Daily trips on Spencer Street have surged by an average of 11,443 over that time.
Fears loom of a traffic meltdown because only 75 per cent of workers have been allowed back into the offices and many of these journeys may not end in the CBD.
Intelematics senior product manager John Cardoso said the past year had changed how Victorians travelled and used our roads.
“One of our theories, based on this and other research, is that people really worry about taking public transport,” he said.
“It is a bit concerning when popular corridors like Kings Way and Punt Road look to be getting busier and people aren’t yet back to their old work patterns.
“Before COVID-19 there was massive push for public transport and new ideas about how we move around.
“Now a lot of people are really concerned about being on a train for 45 minutes with their windows closed.”
Limits on office capacities will be lifted next week, with even more strain expected on the roads while public transport usage remains below normal levels.
Lonsdale Street lagged behind many other corridors examined by the company, with Intelematics recording 26,220 fewer daily journeys than there were two years ago.
Flinders Street also recorded a decrease, although this was linked to Metro Tunnel works which have drastically changed how cars use the street.
Mr Cardoso said working from home and the gradual return of workers to CBD offices had made traffic levels less predictable.
“We can see the strain on the roads so we really need to keep monitoring this and re-evaluating the transport policies we have in place,” he said.
‘The old policies will not fly moving forward because we are living in a new moment. We are in uncharted water.”
Mr Cardoso said the movement of people around any city was directly linked to economic activity, and solving congestion issues was vital to the state’s future economic growth.
It comes after Infrastructure Victoria warned the state was on the cusp of a traffic nightmare as people turned away from public transport.
Average speeds during the morning peak and around the inner city could slow to just 20km/h as more Melburnians choose to use their cars.
The problem is not just restricted to the CBD, with short to medium trips across the suburbs also increasing over the past the 12 months.
Local councils and the state government have sought to reassure commuters public transport is safe and have put on extra cleaning programs across the network — but usage is still down.
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