Why Melbourne is one of the world’s worst cities to drive in
Think driving in Melbourne is awful? A survey of cities around the world has confirmed it, rating us worse than notoriously busy cities Los Angeles and Rome. And it’s not just because of congestion.
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Melbourne is one of the worst cities in the world to drive in, ranked 83 out of 100 in a global survey of traffic, parking and costs.
Melbourne is rated even worse than notoriously busy cities such as Rome and Los Angeles, and only just ahead of Beijing.
Car parking costs, registration expenses and high ownership rates pushed Melbourne’s position down on the list.
Calgary was the best city for driving because of low congestion, low death rate and affordability, while Mumbai was the worst.
The Driving Cities Index by European parts retailer Mister Auto assessed 15 factors including the number of cars per capita, congestion, road rage, accident rates, petrol prices, car parking fees, road standards, public transport offerings and air quality.
Melbourne had the third highest average road tax, or registration, of $575, behind Rotterdam ($578) and Copenhagen with a whopping $2370.
Osaka drivers were the most polite with the fewest incidents of road rage, just ahead of the motorists of Tokyo and Singapore.
At the other end, the angriest drivers are to be found in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar, Moscow and Karachi. Melbourne’s road rage level was right in the middle of the 100 locations.
Australian cities were among the most expensive for two-hour parking. Sydneysiders face an average $39 fee, from New York ($38), Brisbane ($31) and Melbourne ($29).
Dubai had the newest cars – the average age of its vehicles was 5.2 years, while Melbourne’s cars were 10.2 years old. The oldest cars were to be found in Athens, Kolkata and Mumbai (each 15 years).
A government spokesman defended the state’s roads investment record.
“We’re delivering the biggest pipeline of major new road projects in Victoria’s history to keep Melbourne moving, boost capacity on the road network and improve safety for Melbourne drivers.”
RACV’s senior manager for transport, planning and infrastructure Peter Kartsidimas said
Melbourne’s poor performance would come as no surprise for most commuters.
“Motorists are faced with chronic congestion on our roads every day.
“As Melbourne continues to grow towards a population of 9 million people, the challenge of moving around the city is only going to increase.
The state government needed to develop a comprehensive plan covering all modes of transport, he said.
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Mister Auto managing director Sébastien Rohart said that while many cities had infrastructure and legislation in place, much still had to be done to make driving safe and affordable.
Mr Rohart said the frequency of road rage was an indicator of a city’s driving culture.
“Firstly, it’s a measure of the aggressiveness of its drivers, and secondly, it exposes the level of frustration experienced due to stressful city driving conditions like traffic and congestion.”
THE TOP 10 BEST CITIES FOR DRIVERS
1. Calgary, Canada
2. Dubai, UAE
3. Ottawa, Canada
4. Bern, Switzerland
5. El Paso, USA
6. Vancouver, Canada
7. Gothenburg, Sweden
8. Dusseldorf, Germany
9. Basel, Switzerland
10. Dortmund, Germany
THE BOTTOM 10 WORST CITIES FOR DRIVERS
100. Mumbai, India
99. Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
98. Kolkata, India
97. Lagos, Nigeria
96. Karachi, Pakistan
95. Bogota, Colombia
94. São Paulo, Brazil
93. Mexico City, Mexico
92. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
91. Moscow, Russia
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83 Melbourne