Tag Archives: commute

World’s best and worst commuting traffic

Aussie commuting traffic is fastest and safest in Perth and the worst in Sydney, according to a new statistical analysis of 100 major cities in the world.

The 2019 Driving Cities Index, commissioned by European car parts retailer Mister Auto, considers commuting traffic speeds, road condition, congestion, road rage, fatality rates, air pollution and costs such as parking and fuel.

Best commuting traffic

The best city for commuting traffic was Calgary in Canada, a country which had several cities in the top 10.

It was followed by Dubai, Ottawa, Bern and El Paso.

Perth was 13th, Brisbane 66th, Melbourne 83rd and Sydney 86th.

Commuting traffic lane filtering speed wet NSW sydney police commuting
Perth commute is best even in the rain!

That is despite Melbourne rating much worse than Sydney for fatalities and road rage.

Canberra and Adelaide were not included as the study “focuses on the largest cities in each country”. However Mister Auto will “consider including these cities in expanded future iterations”.

Worst

Worst cities were mainly in Asia and Africa led by Mumbai in India followed by Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia, Kolkata in India and Lagos in Nigeria.

Results are similar to a 2017 German study of the world’s 100 major cities.

It rated Perth the best place in Australia for commuting at 19th, followed by Brisbane at 45th, Melbourne 55th, Adelaide surprisingly at 57th and Sydney worst 61st.

While lane filtering now allows riders to dodge the worst of the daily commute, riders still face commuting costs of fuel and parking, traffic crashes and road rage.

The Mister Auto survey found the state capital cities’ road conditions and fuel costs were the same rating them at 75th worst roads in the world and 78th for fuel costs.

Other results, listed best to worst, include:

Melbourne roads lane filtering more often congestion promote
Melbourne traffic

Daily average congestion

  • 13 Perth
  • 28 Brisbane
  • 43 Melbourne
  • 66 Sydney

Commuting speeds

  • 11 Perth
  • 20 Brisbane
  • 58 Melbourne
  • 89 Sydney

Road rage

lane filter filtering splitting traffic commute commuting congestion Brisbane
Brisbane traffic
  • 20 Brisbane
  • 41 Perth
  • 47 Sydney
  • 50 Melbourne

Fatalities

  • 33 Perth
  • 40 Brisbane
  • 42 Sydney
  • 71 Melbourne

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Industry boss is learning to ride to work

Putting his body where his mouth is, Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries boss Tony Weber is learning to ride in time to take part in the third annual Ride Your Motorcycle to Work Week (7-11 October 2019).

When it was announced earlier this month, Tony said “we are traditionally a country mad for motorcycles”.

Yet, he admitted he is not a rider: “When the motorcyclists I know start explaining their love for it, I have to admit I am tempted to ask for lessons.”

Learning to ride

Tony is certainly a man of his word with his first training session at motoDNA Riders Academy, Sydney Motorsport Park.

“I was hesitant at first, but I got a feel for it quickly. I must admit, now I see why my colleagues and motorcycle industry members get so excited about motorcycle riding,” he says.

“It’s one of the great experiences – it’s just so enjoyable! I can’t wait to take it to the next stage.Tony Weber prepares to learn to ride

“Ride Your Motorcycle to Work Week is a brilliant opportunity for riders to share their passion and make sure their bikes are prepared for the summer.

“I would encourage anyone to get out there and have a go, take your first steps as a rider. It’s just magic.”

MotoDNA founder and CEO Mark McVeigh says Tony took to the bike quickly.

Tony Weber prepares to learn to ride
Mark and Tony

“He was unassisted in under an hour. Initially he was a bit nervous, but once he got a feel for the bike, I could see him falling in love with riding, just like I did, just like everyone does when they try it,” Mark says.

We suggest riders encourage their friends to start learning to ride during Ride Your Motorcycle to Work Week which also corresponds with the NSW Motorcycle Awareness Month

Ride to work

Ride Your Motorcycle to Work Week aims to unite riders, celebrate taking the ‘long way home’, and showcase the small moments in a journey only riders notice.

The event is an initiative of the FCAI, supported by Aprilia, BMW Motorrad, Can-AM BRP, Ducati, Harley-Davidson, Honda, Husqvarna, Indian Motorcycles, Kawasaki, KTM, Moto Guzzi, Piaggio, Suzuki, Triumph, Vespa and Yamaha.

To support the week, a selection of Australia’s motorcycle dealerships will offer a free Ride-Thru 10-point inspection of their bike to make sure it is safe and road ready.

Riders are also encouraged to share their favourite sections of their long way home on FacebookInstagram and the official website.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Joe Rider vests make drivers aware of riders

Riders will be wearing Joe Rider vests during Motorcycle Awareness Month in October to make Sydney drivers aware of how many riders are on the road.

Motorcycle Council of NSW chairman Kevin “Trip” Henry says their road safety campaign will encourage drivers to look out for ‘Joe’ on their way to work.

There will be daily $50 fuel vouchers offered as incentive prize for those who identify the correct location of a Joe Rider through the MCC NSW Facebook page.

Joe Rider competition

The competition will run from 1-4 October 2019 and be backed by a radio advertising campaign on KIIS FM and Edge FM.

All entrants will also go in the draw to win a $500 Red Balloon Getaway voucher sponsored by Shannons Insurance. 

“This competition is a great way to remind drivers to look out for motorcyclists,” Kevin says.

MCC nSW Joe Rider Kevin Trip Henry
Kevin “models” the vest in his driveway

“By being diligent drivers on our roads, lives will be saved.

“Sixty-one percent of multi-vehicle crashes involving a motorcycle are caused by the other driver failing to see or give way to the rider.”

“In motorcycle crashes where the other vehicle was at fault, it was found that 81% were private cars and 9% were a light truck, so if we can get this safety message to car drivers, we can hopefully prevent many accidents.

“Between 2008 and 2016 motorcycle registrations increased by 54%, and car registrations up 21%. There are significantly more motorcycles for drivers to look out for.”Commute traffic lane filtering speed wet NSW sydney police commuting

Regional message

Kevin says they are also targeting the Central West region of NSW this year with a radio campaign leading up to the Two Wheels to Wellington motorcycle ride.

“Regional NSW is prone to motorcycle accidents and fatalities – with 27.5% of all motorcycle fatalities occurring in regional NSW up to August 2019,” he says.

To keep the momentum going throughout the month, MCC of NSW are also sponsoring several motorcycle events. 

They include the Pink Ribbon Ride on 20 October in Western Sydney to raises funds for breast cancer and Breakfast Torque on 27 October at Heathcote.

“Events are a great way for motorcyclists to show their love of riding with friends and family, increases the road users’ awareness of motorcyclists and raise money for worthy causes,” Kevin says.

The event also corresponds with the third annual Ride Your Motorcycle to Work Week from 7-11 October.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Lane filter past our commuting nightmare

It’s time the motorcycle industry advertised the benefits of riding to work by motorcycle as commuting times have increased about a quarter across Australia in the past couple of decades.

The latest annual Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey shows Sydney commuters are the worst hit, while Brisbane’s commuting times have increase the most in the past 20 years.

Across the nation workers spend an average of 4.5 hours a week getting to and from work, which is up 23% since 2002.

Motorcycle retailers, distributors and importers should stop complaining about plummeting sales.

Instead, they should spend more money advertising how much quicker it is to commute by motorcycle, especially now that lane filtering is legal across the nation!

Two-wheel commuting benefitsHow to ride safely in heavy traffic lane filtering happiest commuters commuting plan

Every commute is different, but travelling the 22km from my western Brisbane suburb to work in an inner-city suburb used to take me about 40 minutes by car and 30 on a bike (and that was before lane filtering was made legal).

So that’s a 25% time saving.

Across a week, that would be a saving of 50 minutes.

If there is an accident that brings traffic to a standstill, then a motorcycle will save you even more time.

And commuting by motorcycle makes you feel alive and vibrant so when you get to work your creative juices are flowing!

That is contrary to the survey which found workers with long commuting times arrived at work unhappy and unproductive.

Instead of promoting motorcycling, the experts are now calling for more money to be spent on public transport.

However, trains and buses are not near as convenient as a motorcycle that you can ride from door to door with handy, cheap or even free parking as an added bonus.

Imagine if the motorcycle industry began advertising the benefits of motorcycle commuting!

They could use date from the oft-quoted 2011 Belgian Transport and Mobility study that found if 10% of all private cars were replaced by motorcycles, it would reduce traffic congestion by 40%.

If 25% went from steering wheel to handlebar, traffic congestion would cease, it found.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com