Road traffic is almost back to pre-COVID levels and with public transport use still down by 44 per cent, congestion will only get worse. Increased congestion levels are yet another reason retail delivery curfews should be permanently lifted so freight operators can help out other road users by scheduling deliveries wherever possible to reduce congestion.
Office workers are gradually beginning to return to their CBD office buildings, but while public transport use is down by 46.6 per cent for train journeys, and 42.4 per cent for bus trips, road traffic is only 4 per cent lower than a year ago.
Road congestion is predicted to only get worse; for example, Infrastructure Victoria has found that the number of daily car trips will likely increase by 15 per cent on pre-COVID levels, and a survey by Allianz found that half of all road users believe more people will drive to work when they return to the office to avoid public transport and reduce potential exposure to COVID-19.
Getting trucks off CBD roads during peak hour will greatly help ease congestion for all other road users and make completing deliveries safer for everyone. With a greatly increased demand for online shopping, supply issues caused by COVID-19, and lengthy waits at State borders now is not the time to restrict truck drivers to using major roads at times when other road users are getting back into their cars.
