Within the group of capital cities, Sydneysiders have consistently had the longest average daily commutes, with the mean daily commuting time in 2017 increasing by 17.4 per cent to 71.1 minutes, up from 61.6 minutes in 2002, although it has been relatively stable since 2014.
The HILDA data also shows that people with long commutes are generally less satisfied with their jobs and are more likely to be looking for another job.
To help slash rising commuting times, the Western Sydney Business Chamber (WSBC) is calling on the NSW Government to double down on its investment in new public transport and support more job creation in Western Sydney.
Executive director David Borger says major public transport projects, such as Sydney Metro West and Parramatta Light Rail Stage 2, needed to be fast-tracked.
“Build these two projects and you will create the elusive ‘30 minute’ city that is the dream of planning agencies like the Greater Sydney Commission,” he said.
“Parramatta’s booming commercial office market has been a beacon of what is possible with the right investment decisions from government – moving public sector jobs and investing in new public transport has sent a strong signal to the private sector that Parramatta is open for business. We need to try to replicate this in other Western Sydney centres.”
Mr Borger added that the Federal Government also needed to contribute to the cost of “building public transport in Australia’s largest and most economically important city”.
Average Sydneysider commute up by almost fifth
IF you feel like you spend way too much time travelling to and from work then you might be right, according to figures in the latest Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey.
