New research has revealed that more than a third of New Zealanders have accepted congestion as "just a part of life", with Aucklanders the least likely to change their daily commuting routine for the sake of reduced traffic.
One-thousand respondents (aged 18-and-over) hailing from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch were surveyed by HERE Technologies to find out how congestion is affecting transport choices - and what changes commuters are willing to make.
The data shows that roughly 70 percent of New Zealanders commute by car, contributing to considerable congestion in the country's major cities. Yet in Auckland - New Zealand's largest and most congested city with a population of almost 1.7 million - residents are the least likely to try a different commuting option to help reduce traffic.
Almost half of surveyed Aucklanders (46 percent) saw driving as the quickest and most convenient option, with 46 percent also willing to accept traffic in favour of keeping their routine and car.
Aucklanders were also most resigned to traffic, with almost 50 percent accepting congestion as part of day-to-day life. However, 48 percent did report attempts to use public transport more frequently in an effort to free up the motorways.
Although people in Christchurch were the most varied in their commuting style, they were also the least inclined to use public transport (29 percent). They were also the least likely to sell their car in favour of reduced congestion (62 percent wouldn’t even consider it).
Wellingtonians were most likely to sell their vehicle in favour of rideshare apps (59.9 percent). Forty-two percent reported using public transport more frequently, while 51 percent of Wellington-based respondents said they would change their mode of transport depending on live traffic updates in a bid to combat congestion.
Public transport and rideshare services were the most favoured alternatives to driving among New Zealander commuters. Forty-four percent were hopping on public transport, while 28 percent opted for an app such as Uber. While these are good ways to ensure more cars are being left in the garage, the data company says it's indicative that New Zealanders are committed to the road. Far fewer are willing to cycle or walk more often (21.7 percent). Only 15 percent would be open to working more flexible hours.
"Cities like Auckland, Hamilton and Christchurch ranked in the top 10 for congestion problems across Oceania last year, and Auckland alone is losing around $3.5million per day to traffic congestion," Daniel Antonello, Head of Oceania at HERE, said in a statement.
"More to the point traffic jams are the largest cause of air pollution and one of the largest contributors to excessive carbon footprints. They impact people’s happiness, where they choose to live, how productive we are as a society, and the success of our economy."
While 70 percent of respondents said they had altered their commute in some way in response to climate change concerns, just 4 percent had made the decision to sell their vehicles. Almost a third (29.6 percent) said climate change had no influence on their commute whatsoever.
On the positive, almost half of respondents (43.8 percent) said they were willing to swap their mode of transport depending on real-time traffic updates, showing some capacity for change. This demonstrates that a significant percentage of Kiwis are taking congestion into account and will comprise their routine for the sake of one less car on the road.
Antonello hopes the data will empower commuters to make more informed transport choices in a bid to reduce congestion for the good of all New Zealanders.
