Melbourne roads among country's worst for traffic: Survey

It may come as no surprise to drivers who spend hours stuck in traffic, but Melbourne's roads have been officially declared some of the most congested in Australia.

TomTom Traffic Index 2013 has revealed Melbourne drivers waste up to 76 hours a year stuck in traffic and identifies congestion hot spots.

The annual traffic report found the six most congested parts of Melbourne were:

• Victoria Street, east of Hoddle Street

• Nicholson St, north of Alexandra Parade

• Alexandra Parade, east of Nicholson St

• Flemington Road

• St Kilda Road, south of the Yarra River

• Barkly Street, St Kilda

The regional results of the Index covers nine major cities across Australia and New Zealand, with Sydney listed as the most congested city in the region.

1. Sydney 34%

2. Auckland 29%

3. Wellington 28%

4. Melbourne 27%

5. Perth 27%

6. Christchurch 26%

7. Adelaide 25%

8. Brisbane 23%

9. Canberra 17%

The survey found that during the worst hour of peak-time, Melbourne drivers spend on average 30 minutes going nowhere.

According to the Index, the worst delays were early Tuesday mornings and Thursday evenings, while the best time to travel in peak hour was Friday morning or Monday evening.

The RACV agrees with the survey's findings, but says it failed to mention Melbourne's two worst bottle necks where drivers face even longer delays.

A spokesman for the RACV said: "The end of the Eastern Freeway at Hoddle Street and the Tullamarine Freeway over the Bolte Bridge to the Westgate Bridge."

Melbourne came in at 31st in the world’s most congested cities list, with the top three being Moscow, Istanbul and Rio De Janeiro.

The ranking by overall congestion level in 2013 were:

1. Moscow 74%

2. Istanbul 62%

3. Rio de Janeiro 55%

4. Mexico City 54%

5. São Paulo 46%

6. Palermo 39%

7. Warsaw 39%

8. Rome 37%

9. Los Angeles 36%

10. Dublin 35%