Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich traffic getting worse

Horror delays on almost every major road in the southeast have refused to go away this year despite 50 cent fares, road upgrades and work-from-home.

South East Queensland’s horror traffic snarls are refusing to go away more than three months after a perfect storm of causes in March brought cars to a standstill from Brisbane to the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.

Motorists have flooded social media with stories of commute times doubling, particularly on Brisbane’s southside, the inner east side and from the City of Moreton Bay to Brisbane.

The seemingly never-ending Centenary Bridge duplication in Jindalee, where an 80km/h zone has created jams more than 1km long, seven days a week for months, was one of the worst hotspots.

And the Pacific Motorway widening at Logan where there is an 80km/h limit has also caused monster delays for countless months.

The closure of both footpaths on the Story Bridge since March 5 has added to the woes, forcing hundreds of pedestrians and cyclists to take their cars.

The region’s traffic problem was now so bad Google Maps diverted drivers away from Gympie Rd and the Pacific Motorway.

Everything from festivals to road closures, the return of school sport and ruined beaches was blamed for the chaos three months ago.

But in recent weeks reports of unusually bad traffic have resurfaced, including the Ipswich to Brisbane run, with some blaming colder weather for more people driving instead of waiting at chilly bus, ferry and train stops.

“In Brisbane I can definitely say that traffic is getting worse and worse every day,’’ a council bus driver posted to social media page Reddit.

“Even when I drive out to Capalaba in the middle of the day, or at midnight, the roads are chockers,’’ another said.

“I’ve been driving Brisbane to the Gold Coast for the last few years and am noticing it getting worse. School holidays used to knock about 20 minutes off but no longer — peak hour also starts about an hour earlier than it did about two years ago,’’ an angry Redditer said.

The pain comes despite the full opening of the long-delayed Indooroopilly overpass earlier this month easing congestion on Moggill Rd and Coonan St in Brisbane’s inner west.

The 50 cent fares on public transport have failed to deliver a sustained increase in bus and train patronage, which could have helped ease the pain.

TransLink monthly performance data showed passenger numbers in March, the most recent period recorded, were about the same as July to November last year — albeit higher than before 50 cent fares first came into effect on August 5.

In March this year about 4.1m people caught a Citytrain and 9.4m used buses, compared with 4.9m train passengers in August last year and 10.8m bus passengers.

Some frustrated commuters blamed the stalled uptake of public transport on never-ending track work for Cross River Rail.

The Cross River Rail Authority listed no less than 25 track works so far this month, or planned in the next 10 days.

Cross River Rail site opposite the Gabba. Picture: Patrick Woods

There were 12 track works last month, 19 in March, 18 in February and 22 in January.

The new CRR services were not due to come fully online until 2029.

But Brisbane City Council’s second Metro route, the M1, was due to open from June 30 which could help ease congestion.

Other reasons suggested for the ongoing congestion included employers forcing more people to work from the office.

However, an Australian HR Institute report last month which surveyed about 1000 people, split evenly between the private and public sectors, found 44 per cent of those surveyed were still required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week, only slightly less than two years ago.

Hugely expensive roadworks in recent years, including the Kingsford Smith Drive and Lytton Rd widening projects, have failed to reduce congestion.

Heavy traffic on the M1 Pacific Motorway heading south towards the Gold Coast from Brisbane. Picture: Nigel Hallett

Queensland University of Technology Urban and Regional Planning lecturer Tracy Washington said Brisbane was growing rapidly but had not built alternative transport options.

“The 2032 Games will bring huge traffic impacts to Brisbane. The density of locals and tourists all attending the same events will put a lot of pressure on our traffic infrastructure,’’ she said.

“Even a 10 per cent increase in traffic at high commute times can create large impacts for a city like Brisbane.’’

The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics data highlighted how much the population has boomed, with 72,900 more people moving into Greater Brisbane in the 2023-24 financial year.

That was equivalent to three Maryboroughs.

The population increase was 2.7 per cent higher than the previous year, way above the rest of Queensland (1.8 per cent up).

Traffic research group INRIX’s 2024 Global Traffic Scorecard, released in January, found Brisbane now had Australia’s worst capital-city traffic and was the 10th worst in the world, up two places in one year.

The average Brisbane commuter spent 84 hours in traffic in 2024 according to the report, the equivalent of two full work weeks.

Originally published as Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich traffic getting worse