By Laura Michell
Whittlesea and Hume residents are being encouraged to share their travel woes on social media for National Nightmare Commute Day this Thursday.
The nationwide social media event gives a voice to people living in fast-growing outer suburbs who are fed up with the hours wasted every day travelling to work or study.
The day is organised by the National Growth Areas Alliance as part of its Catch Up campaign and is designed to generate more federal funding for roads and public transport.
People can share the details of their commutes – including traffic delays, train cancellations and road works – on social media with #nightmarecommute. Whittlesea residents are also being encouraged to use #whittleseacommute.
Whittlesea mayor Lawrie Cox, who will join a Wollert resident on his commute to the CBD on Thursday, said residents were spending too much time trying to get to work or study each day.
“Our federal politicians need to pay attention to the impact that poor infrastructure has on the lives of thousands of our residents,” he said.
“As our city continues to grow, congestion will get worse. We need a much bigger financial investment from the federal government to improve our roads.”
Hume mayor Carly Moore said some Hume residents spent the equivalent of 28 days a year stuck in traffic.
“Too many of us have to travel up to two hours each way just to get to work,” she said. “On average, we are wasting up to a whole month every year sitting in traffic instead of spending time with our family and friends.
“The current frequency and choice of public transport options in some suburbs in Hume means that this is not a reliable commuting option in many circumstances.
“In other Hume suburbs, residents are still waiting on a public transport option where they live.”
