traffic congestion in melbourne

Melbourne’s congestion is the daily tango of too many cars, not enough road, and a tram that always wins the stare-off.

Expect the worst on the M1 (Monash/West Gate), M3 (Eastern), CityLink/Tulla, Hoddle St/Punt Rd and the West Gate Bridge—peak is roughly 7–9am and 3:30–6:30pm, worse in school terms and when it rains.

Leave 15–30 minutes earlier, try arterials like Burke, Warrigal or Ferntree Gully roads, and watch live updates via VicTraffic or your map app.

Or embrace the tram: slower on paper, but at least you’re not white-knuckling an on-ramp that looks like Boxing Day sales.