New research shows Melbourne’s traffic flow ranks below New York and Rome

Traffic in Melbourne is now worse than some of the world’s biggest cities, while analysis shows our sprawling suburbs have been left behind by poor public transport coverage and infrequent services.

Traffic in Melbourne is now worse than in New York and Rome, with a new report finding motorists on our network are delayed by more than half an hour for every 100km they travel.

New research from GPS company Here Technologies has revealed the Victorian capital has some of the worst congestion issues in the world, ranking 25th for traffic flow in a list compiled of 38 major cities.

IS THIS MELBOURNE’S MOST GLARING PROBLEM?

MELBOURNE DRIVERS STUCK IN TRAFFIC FOR LONGER

RADICAL CBD CONGESTION TAX PLAN REJECTED

The first annual Urban Mobility Index shows that nearly a fifth of our roads are clogged at 4pm on a Thursday and the weekend peak now stretches through four to five hours

Hoddle St stands out as Australia’s equivalent to the New Jersey Turnpike, with average weekday speeds slowing to 38km/h despite a posted speed limit of 70km/h.

>> SHARE YOUR OWN NIGHTMARE COMMUTE STORY. Scroll down to comment in our comments box, tweet @theheraldsun or join the conversation on Facebook

Ross Caldow, Here Technologies’ industry specialist for the public sector, said the findings came from an unprecedented level of data collected about the way Melbourne moved.

“It was built monitoring a number of different traffic inputs and the existing public transport network to create a real time sense of what’s happening,” he said.

“What we can see from a Melbourne perspective is that the city performs quite poorly around traffic congestion.

“The rankings also come from a comparison of the posted speed to the congested speed … We can see there is a lot going on around the network.”

Soaring population growth is believed to be a main factor behind the strain on the network with short-term delays created by a swath of road upgrades and maintenance projects.

Hoddle St and the West Gate Freeway have become pressure points for thousands of daily car movements while suburban roads, targeted by billions in upcoming road upgrades, are slowing to a crawl around school pick up and drop off times.

RACV general manager of public policy Bryce Prosser said it was up to authorities to take a multifaceted approach to Melbourne’s traffic woes.

“Congestion is becoming a fact of life for many commuters as the transport system struggles to cope with Victoria’s population boom,” he said.

“There is not one single solution to this complex problem but it is vital that all forms of transport — both public and private — are more integrated.

“Building the major projects that relieve the congestion will cause more disruption, so it’s vital that the State Government rapidly implement its plans for a new control centre so that better information can be provided to commuters.

“Opportunities to get more out of existing roads should also be pursued, for example by removing carparking to create bicycle lanes, bus lanes and traffic lanes where needed.”

A spokesman said the Andrews Government was investing an unprecedented amount in road and rail upgrades.

“Whether it’s the massive, $4 billion Suburban Roads Upgrade, the West Gate Tunnel, North East Link or our upgrades to the Monash, the Ring Road and the Tulla — we’re doing the work that has to be done to get people home safer and sooner,” he said.

“But we know we can’t simply build our way out of congestion — that’s why we’re investing in the Metro Tunnel, the Suburban Rail Loop and removing 75 dangerous and congested level crossings.”

MANY SUBURBS THE PUBLIC TRANSPORT NETWORK FORGOT

Sprawling suburbs across Melbourne have been left behind by poor public transport coverage and infrequent services, new data reveals.

Analysis by Here Technologies shows the city’s public transport network is more efficient than many other systems around the world, but ranks poorly at getting trains, trams and buses to as many people as possible.

Figures show more than a quarter of the population does not live within 1km of a stop and that Melbourne ranks 29th in a list of 38 major cities for service frequency.

The Eastern Freeway exit to Hoddle Street and Alexandra Parade. Picture: Mark Stewart

Public Transport Users Association spokesman Daniel Bowen said the number of trips running every hour was a key source of frustration for passengers.

“Even if there is a stop nearby, few people will use it if it’s the typical Melbourne bus timetable of a service only every 30-60 minutes,” he said. “This study makes it clear that Melbourne is falling behind in this area.

“To get more people out of their cars and on to public transport, it is critical that the state government funds extra services: trams, buses and especially trains running frequently all day, every day, so people can get around easily without long waits and without studying timetables.”

Melbourne was ninth globally for public transport efficiency and 12th for journey times compared with cars, according to the first Urban Mobility Index.

But the study also found just 71 per cent of the city area was within walking distance of a stop, which was well behind many other developed cities.

Mr Bowen said many cities were pushing ahead with more frequent timetables.

“By comparison, Sydney is moving ahead — recent upgrades mean 71 per cent of stations now have a train every 15 minutes all day until at least 11pm every night,” he said.

“Travel demand is spreading across the day, and traffic jams are now a regular problem seven days a week — it’s time our public transport system caught up.”

When Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel is completed by 2025, commuters on the Sunbury, Cranbourne and Pakenham lines will have a turn-up-and-go service, and new technology will allow trains to run every two to three minutes if needed.

[e-mail]