RACQ’s 2023 Average Speed and Travel Time Report showed the weekday average speed on the Centenary Motorway between Ipswich Motorway and Fig Tree Pocket Road was 37.4km/h in the AM peak from 6-10am.

The Club’s Head of Public Policy, Dr Michael Kane, said while works were underway to upgrade the Centenary Bridge, more was needed to curb growing traffic pain.

“We know the Queensland Government is working on a draft Master Plan for the Centenary Motorway and we need this to be holistic and well thought out,” Dr Kane said.

“Any long-term planning for the Centenary Motorway corridor must consider a connecting ‘Western Bypass’ corridor linking through to the proposed Gympie Road Bypass Tunnel.

“By fixing, finishing and extending our outer ring of motorways we will take traffic off our local roads and corridors by allowing them to bypass Brisbane altogether.

“We commend the State and Federal Governments for funding the Centenary Bridge Upgrade, but a more detailed and long-term plan is needed to effectively alleviate congestion along this vital corridor. If this doesn’t happen, motorists will continue to crawl at school zone speeds on this major motorway.”

Dr Kane said plans must also focus heavily on public transport, specifically separated bus lanes, to create possible extension routes for the Brisbane Metro network.

“To manage congestion along our major radial roads that lead into central Brisbane we need to see significant and continued investment in public and active transport to put more people on bikes, buses and trains, and fewer in cars,” he said.

The results also showed the Pacific Motorway between North Quay and O’Keefe Street was the slowest motorway section in 2023 with an average travel speed of 28.6km/h between 3pm and 7pm on weekdays. The opposite direction in the AM peak was also slow at 37.3km/h.

The Gateway Motorway from Buchanan Rd (Nudgee) to Pine Rivers Bridge also struggled in 2023, recording 42.3km/h in the PM peak.

It was not all bad news for motorists, with the Pacific Motorway upgrade between the Springwood VMS billboard and Underwood Road having increased average speeds in the AM peak from 45.2 km/h in 2019 to 71.0 km/h in 2023.

RACQ looks forward to working closely with all levels of government to continue advocating on behalf of Queensland motorists.