Perth’s 20 worst intersections revealed as cost of congestion to WA economy hits $2.2b each year

Sitting in the car, waiting for a green light. Hands gripped tightly around the steering wheel as your mind wanders to the meeting you’re going to miss. All because you’re stuck at an intersection. Even when the light shifts from red, and cars crawl through, it turns orange again and you’ve missed your chance. It’s frustrating. It’s rage-inducing. And it’s still costing WA’s economy more than $2 billion annually. It’s congestion. Across the city, drivers know the pinch points. The junctions where, without a lucky change of the lights, there’s no sailing through on a green. Main Roads has identified the 20 worst intersections in Perth for congestion, and they are unlikely to be a secret to drivers on our roads. RAC external relations manager Will Golsby said half of the insurer’s members believed congestion was harming their wellbeing and taking important time away from family and recreational activities. RAC’s 2023 Commuting and Congestion survey revealed 50 per cent of Perth peak-hour drivers were unhappy with their commute, with satisfaction levels dropping the more they had to drive in peak hour. Almost two-thirds of members said fixing pinch points such as those at busy intersections would be the most effective method of easing congestion on Perth roads. THE WORST IN PERTH Top of Main Roads’ list is Reid Highway and Erindale Road in Balcatta — a bugbear for those trying to get to the airport and into the neighbouring industrial area. For those coming off the Mitchell Freeway and heading east, the intersection is the last set of lights most drivers will hit for a long stretch. It’s been a focus of local campaigning for several years, with the former Federal Liberal government committing $2 million for a business case. Moore MP Ian Goodenough said the project was a high priority. “There’s about 11,000 fly-in, fly-out workers that live in the coastal suburbs, and they have to commute to Perth airport once a week,” Mr Goodenough said. “And for a lot of them, that’s one of the only intersections that there are traffic lights and they have to stop at — it can add about 10 minutes to their journey.” While the Liberals put a cost of more than $100m on the project when it was first proposed, Labor estimated it at $600m. The difference was based on scale, with Mr Goodenough attributing the higher price to plans including detailed and uninterrupted access to and from Mitchell Freeway. “We need the solution that will then solve the subsequent intersection,” he said. “If we fix it all at once, then you know we would have that good network, whereas if we only do Erindale Road, then the next set of lights becomes an issue.” A spokesperson for the Federal Department of Infrastructure said the business case on the intersection upgrade was ongoing, and expected to be complete before the end of this year. PERTH’S ELBOW OF FRUSTRATION For those heading into the city from the north, four of the worst intersections are located along a 1km stretch of Loftus and Thomas streets — from the Graham Farmer Freeway junction through to Hay Street. Another sits nearby at the intersection of Charles and Vincent streets, with traffic banking up as drivers try to get on the freeway heading south. City of Perth Lord Mayor Basil Zempilas said congestion was suffocating the inner city. “Twice a day at peak hour that stretch along Thomas and Loftus streets is central Perth’s biggest bottleneck. It is a huge issue for Perth motorists,” he said. “It also poses a significant danger for students of Perth Modern School trying to cross the intersection at the corner of Thomas Street and Roberts Road. School parents and the school community are particularly concerned for the safety of their children. “With 50,000 vehicles along this key stretch of road every day is a vital north-west corridor which links key entry and exit points off the freeway. it’s time it got the urgent attention it deserves, and as Lord Mayor, accessibility to the city is a major priority.” Mr Zempilas said the widening of Thomas Street north of Kings Park Road was a key long-term strategic project for the City of Perth and the City of Subiaco. CITY-WIDE PROBLEM Other pain points are peppered throughout the suburbs. Three are on the Tonkin Highway, which just this week marked the completion of the Tonkin Gap. For drivers in the north, it will see a 100km/h speed limit return and congestion ease on a critical bottleneck at Bayswater as the highway crosses the Swan River. After years of roadworks, from the Gateway around the airport, and NorthLink connecting Muchea and Ellenbrook through to the city, projects will now shift to the southern end of Tonkin Highway. “From the airport just south of the airport to the north, we have now got continuous no traffic lights from Dunreath through to Muchea,” Transport Minister Rita Saffioti said this week. “There are other projects that are funded — that includes the extension of the Tonkin Highway South to Mundijong and South West Highway. “That’s a project that we’re currently in tender process for, and we’re hoping to commence contract works on Tonkin Highway South, the extension, by the end of this year.” The focus on the Tonkin Highway would now shift to the southern end and the removal of traffic lights, Ms Saffioti said, including the second-worst intersection for congestion, the junction with Welshpool Road East. “What will continue to happen with Tonkin Highway is, it being a major freight route north-south from Muchea to Mundijong, we’ve got funded a number of removal of traffic lights and new interchanges,” she said this week. “For example, Welshpool Road and Tonkin Highway is one of the top two most congested intersections across the network. “We’ve got funding to create an interchange, there and that’s one of the key projects we want to see very soon.” A Main Roads spokeswoman said planning was also underway for upgrades at Roe Highway and Great Eastern Highway Bypass and Wanneroo Road and Hepburn Avenue. “As one intersection is addressed, new intersections will enter the ‘Top 20 most congested’ list,” she said. THE COST RAC’s Mr Golsby said congestion had more of an impact than just the daily commute. “Our roads are struggling to keep up with demand, which means motorists are spending more time in traffic and less time with family and friends,” he said. “It also puts the brakes on our economy by slowing down productivity. “To address congestion, we need to not only make driving more efficient, but also make other forms of transport — such as walking, cycling and public transport — more attractive options.” The impact on drivers is more than just frustration. Government modelling released through Parliamentary estimates from the 2022-23 financial year puts the economic cost of driving delays at $2.2 billion. A State Government spokesperson said Main Roads’ hit list changed on a year-to-year basis and the Government would continue to prioritise and address key pinch points across the network. Since coming to Government in 2017, Labor said investment had increased, while the economic cost of congestion had lowered. Importantly, the spokesperson said, while Perth’s population had grown by 12 per cent, congestion had only gone up by 0.7 per cent. “The most congested intersections in Perth fluctuate in response to a range of factors, including population growth, and in response to significant investment in major road projects by the State Government,” the spokesperson said. “A number of intersections once listed in the top 20 no longer appear, as a direct result of this investment, such as Leach Highway-Welshpool Road, Tonkin Highway-Collier Road, Tonkin Highway-Morley Drive, Kwinana Freeway-Beeliar Drive-Armadale Road, Kwinana Freeway-South Street, Wanneroo Road-Joondalup Drive, Wanneroo Road-Morley Drive, and Wanneroo Road-Ocean Reef Road. “Since 2017, the State Government has increased the Main Roads Asset Investment Program from approximately $980m to $2.6b, reflecting a 161 per cent increase. “Over $2b has been targeted specifically at the top 20 most congested intersections over that time period in the Perth metropolitan area.” THE LIST