Sydney, Melbourne traffic: Australia’s worst congested roads

Traffic might be down thanks to coronavirus and lockdown but when peak hour picks up again, these are the roads to avoid.

Coronavirus and the lockdowns that have come with it have caused massive drops in traffic across Australia and the world.

But when traffic does eventually pick up again across Australia’s capital cities, there are a few roads you should avoid.

A recent study from global traffic data company TomTom, obtained by 9 News, has listed the top five most congested roads across Sydney and Melbourne.

The worst in Sydney is listed as Cleveland St, a busy and lengthy street that stretches from the inner-east suburbs to the inner-west.

Number two on TomTom’s list is King Street in Newtown, a notorious inner-west thoroughfare that’s also regarded as one of Sydney’s best places to eat and drink.

Missenden Road, in Sydney’s inner-west and just off King Street, is ranked third. Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, one of Sydney’s busiest medical precincts, sits on Missenden Road.

Old South Head Road, in Sydney’s east, comes in fourth while South Dowling Street, just to the east of Cleveland St, comes in fifth.

Sydney and Melbourne have some pretty terrible peak hour traffic. Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts

While Melbourne edges closer to the end of its six-week, stage four lockdown, there’s no doubt plenty of locals hoping for a bit of CBD traffic once the city gets up and running again.

Bridge Road, which stretches into the CBD from inner city suburb Richmond, is Melbourne’s worst for traffic congestion.

The iconic Collins Street, which cuts straight through Melbourne’s CBD, comes in second.

Punt Road, a usually jam-packed thoroughfare that also starts in Richmond, was ranked third worst for traffic congestion.

St Kilda Road, south of Melbourne’s CBD and best known for its beachside homes, was fourth worst.

Finally, Toorak Road, an important and major junction for Melbourne’s CBD, was ranked fifth.

According to 9 News, TomTom used traffic data from peak hour times across Sydney and Melbourne, focusing on the hours of 7-9am in the morning and 4-6pm in the afternoon.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the federal government was fast tracking 12 major infrastructure projects to boost the economy during the pandemic.

Half of the new initiatives are in Queensland, while additions in other states include the modernisation of the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, Sydney’s M12 motorway, and the long-delayed Ellenbrook train line in Perth.

Four of the projects from the list are among 15 big developments across Australia fast-tracked for approval by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his state and territory counterparts in response to COVID-19.

The works are expected to create 6000 jobs. Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory all missed out on having new developments added to the list after a record number of submissions.

Infrastructure Australia chief executive Romilly Madew said the 2020 priority list was updated before the pandemic but showcased the extended pipeline of investment, worth more than $64 billion.

“The priority list is a critical tool in recovery, as it directs investment to the infrastructure projects that will kickstart economic growth and have the greatest returns for all Australians,” Ms Madew said.

“We want to highlight the most recent priority proposals at a time when our infrastructure investment needs to progress quickly without jeopardising the quality of those investments.”