Thursday, 25 May 2023: The NRMA has today released its annual Business Congestion Survey which found that 82 per cent of respondents believe congestion has increased in the last year, with the majority indicating it has gone up by at least 30 per cent.
Now in its 14th year, the NRMA conducted the survey of 448 fleet-running businesses and found that the top impacts of congestion on businesses were:
- Time wasted in traffic (78%)
- Using more fuel (69%)
- Paying more money for tolls (57%)
- Time wasted looking for parking (50%)
Businesses reported that the Sydney CBD (21%) continues to cause the most grief to drivers, followed by Western Sydney (14%) and the Inner-West (13%).
NRMA Business provides specialised roadside assistance Australia wide, corporate driver training, fleet support and an advocacy voice to almost 26,000 fleet-running businesses.
The survey results also found businesses were having to change their way of operating as a result of the delays caused by congestion, with almost half of businesses allowing more time for callouts, changing their travel routes (45%) and avoiding peak hour traffic (37%).
NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said the results revealed the impact of congestion on businesses had worsened while also struggling with the added stress of rising inflation.
“We know that there are significant pressures being felt by many businesses in NSW at the moment, adding a financial strain and effecting the way they operate,” Mr Khoury said.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy in NSW and when business stalls, the economy stalls. Dealing with global inflationary pressures is hard enough without the added burden of congestion.”
NRMA Business Members identified Sydney’s key congestion-busting priorities as:
- Sydney Gateway Project (26%)
- CBD and South West Metro (25%)
- Metro West (24%)
In addition, there was broad support among businesses for the NorthConnex (74%) as the most used motorway, followed by the M4-M5 Link (64%) and WestConnex M8 (63%).
The respondents rated these new roads favourably with 85 per cent rating NorthConnex positively for relieving congestion, followed closely by WestConnex M8 (84%) and the M4-M5 Link (74%).
“It is clear from the results that major infrastructure projects have had a significant impact on relieving congestion for businesses, the solution to congestion is investment in and smart management of our infrastructure,” Mr Khoury said.
“It is critical that the NSW Government continue to invest in significant roads and public transport infrastructure to allow businesses and their employees to get where they need to go quickly and efficiently.
“The NRMA also encourages the Government to look towards innovative and technology based solutions to keep traffic flowing, including smart motorways, traffic drones, and realtime data.
“Interestingly, 37 per cent of businesses surveyed are now allowing their staff to reschedule meetings and appointments to beat peak hour traffic”.
