It will come as little surprise to many that in terms of traffic congestion, Northern Beaches roads rank among the worst in the greater Sydney area.

Numerous government reports document the congestion, long journey times and poor accessibility to and from the area, but the newly released Northern Beaches Council draft discussion paper reveals seven shocking facts:

1. Traffic speeds on The Spit Bridge/Military Road are typically below 13 km/h during afternoon peak period.
2. Speeds on the Warringah Road corridor are between 30-40 km/h throughout the week.
3. According to a 2015 Infrastructure Australia report, Northern Beaches’ traffic congestion alone cost the national economy more than $48 million.
4. 60% of Northern Beaches’ commuting trips in 2016 were made by private motor vehicle compared to 18% by public transport and just 3.4% walking.
5. More than half (53%) of Northern Beaches’ households own two or more vehicles, which is 7% higher than Greater Sydney.
6. 48% of our residents (some 56,000 people) travel outside the Northern Beaches for work - and 20,585 people travel into the area for work.
7. Overall, transport contributed to 30% of all carbon emissions on the Northern Beaches. By and large, cars are the major contributor to all transport related carbon emissions at 26%.

Northern Beaches Council’s Move - Northern Beaches Transport Discussion Paper asks the community to comment on a range of priorities to inform the development of a transport strategy which looks forward to the year 2038.

Council is holding a number of engagement activities where local residents can have their say including drop-in sessions, listening posts and an online survey.

Visit Have Your Say.