交通拥堵严重，再不行动就晚了

行驶在路上的汽车数量持续高速增长，根据澳大利亚统计局的数据显示，每天驾驶车辆通勤上下班人数，去年对比 5年前同期增加了 137,000 人。

在墨尔本郊区，80% 的通勤工具皆使用汽车，即便是墨尔本近郊地区，多数人通勤选择依然是开车而非大众运输。

这无疑再次显示，州政府的当务之急是採取行动，舒缓交通拥堵问题，兴建东西环线 (East West Link) ，则为解决交通拥堵的良方之一，而非耗费 13 亿澳币取消该计画，然后换来今天交通拥堵的日益加剧。

英文版/ English version

Action needed as congestion grows

The number of cars using our roads is continuing to grow rapidly.

More than 137,000 extra people a day used a car to drive to work last year compared with just five years earlier, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures published last week.

In Melbourne’s outer suburbs, around 80% of all travel to work is by car, and even in most of Melbourne’s inner suburbs, more people travel to work by car than by public transport.

This shows yet again that the State government needs to be taking action to reduce congestion, such as building East West Link instead of spending $1.3 billion to scrap it.