What’s your home to work travel routine? Chances are it involves either crawling on our congested roads or in an over-crowded train. There are solutions.
Statistics show average travel time on Perth roads has been slowing and is now less than 37 km/h in peak times.
Congestion has two underlying causes – a lack of investment in our transportation infrastructure and population growth.
WA is the fasting growing state in Australia. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics we’ve grown by 73,000 in the past year – or 1,400 each week.
The situation on our roads has become so bad, that WA businesses are now feeling the costs to their bottom line as a result of fuel costs, salary and overtime payments, and lost productivity and business opportunities.
People in Perth are now more often commuting from home to work by train.
But if you were thinking of leaving the car behind and catching the train instead, you may want to think again. Severe over-crowding on Perth trains means it is not uncommon for trains to skip stations as they’re too full to take on additional passengers. Recent reports have passengers fainting as a result of over-crowding.
The Barnett Government reneged on its promise to build the Ellenbrook rail line and rejected advice from its own Transportation Department to purchase needed new rail cars.
So where’s the solution?
Our congested transport system cuts into family time with long commutes, reduces business productivity, means our roads are more dangerous and results in harmful pollution.
We need immediate action.
Commuters and businesses need to make themselves heard now in the lead up to the 2013 state election, and demand greater investment in transport.
Getting angry whilst you’re stuck in traffic or waiting on the train station isn’t enough!
Take the SOS priorities survey here and we will let our politicians know they need to invest in a transport system that will grow with our state.