Almost half of all commuters face longer journey times than they did a year ago, a new survey has found.
The AA Car Insurance survey of over 6,500 Irish drivers revealed that 30% of respondents indicated that they now spend more time on their commute to and from work than they did 12 months ago.
A further 16% stated that this was 'somewhat true' of their current commute, depending on traffic levels.
20% said that they were more likely to use a car for their morning commute than they would have been a year ago.
However, the survey found that despite an increasing reliance on cars, motorists said they would be willing to use public transport if it was reliable.
35% 'strongly agreed' that a lack of reliable public transport had left them needing their car to get to work, even though they would prefer not to.
Conor Faughnan, AA Director of Consumer Affairs, said: "It appears that the infrastructure hasn’t yet caught up to the increased volume of people commuting during peak hours and with many public transport options operating at peak capacity during the main morning and evening rush.
"Many of those who do drive are conscious of the negative climate and environmental implications of relying so heavily on a car, but often view the alternatives as too unreliable for them to rely on.”
He added: “You only need to look at how full LUAS and major city bus routes are during rush hour, as well as the growing number of those who cycle as their primary mode of transport, to see that where you provide viable alternatives to the car people are more than willing to use them."
