Commuters suffering traffic stress

Three out of four Perth commuters become stressed and frustrated during their daily drive to work, with most blaming rude and aggressive drivers and stop-start traffic.

A major survey of commuters across Australia, to be released today, also found that Perth commuters were the highest users of private vehicles in the country.

Seventy per cent of Perth commuters opted to drive their car to and from work.

The inaugural IBM Commuter Pain Study surveyed more than 1500 commuters in Australia's mainland capital cities to identify differences in commuting patterns and the effects that commuting has on a person's health and lifestyle.

It found that 97 per cent of Perth drivers spent less than an hour commuting to work, with an average one-way trip of 27 minutes - the lowest in the nation.

Yet 73 per cent said they experienced stress during their daily commute, with 28 per cent saying it had a negative impact on their health.

RAC head of member advocacy Matt Brown said congestion and busy roads were a relatively new experience for Perth.

This may be a reason for the high stress levels, he said.

"But the survey figures are alarming because it's only going to get worse in Perth," Mr Brown said.

"With an estimated 550,000 more people expected to be living in the Perth/Peel region in the next two decades, our road network is just going to get more and more congested.

"This has a major impact for employers because workers who arrive in a stressed state are not going to be as productive.

"There is no doubt we need a major road and transport infrastructure."

Transport Minister Troy Buswell said Perth was different from other cities, with its "tradition" of commuting in private vehicles.

"Given this is the first study of its kind, it will be interesting to monitor the results in future years," he said.

"There has been significant, ongoing investment in public transport in Perth and the take-up of public transport has been increasingly steadily."

IBM Australia's transport expert John Hawkins said the survey showed that more consideration needed to be given to flexible working arrangements, including working at home or working outside normal hours.

"The survey found that only 24 per cent of those surveyed work from home at least once a week, which suggests there is significant potential to reduce the amount of driving in Perth by introducing greater work flexibility," he said.

Mr Hawkins said the survey indicated that transport infrastructure had not kept pace with economic and population growth.

The survey found that 39 per cent of commuters thought that improved public transport would reduce travel stress.