says people who have more flexible hours as companies shift to a hybrid model that includes a work-from-home portion are much more likely to drive when they do go into the office.were still steering clear of public transport, but there had been a marked increase in traffic numbers on toll roads such as Melbourne’s CityLink.The CityLink toll road in March generated its highest traffic numbers since the pandemic began.
In Sydney, average daily traffic for the quarter was down 5 per cent to 890,000 trips because of wet weather and the “shadow” lockdowns in January and early February. Mr Charlton said there had also been a big rise in truck movements, with the CityLink toll road showing some all-time highs on certain days.Mr Charlton said the increase in truck movements was also a sign of the shift to a more online economy, where e-commerce operators are filling warehouses with stock which then needs to be delivered to customers.
He expects that over an extended period, interest rates will revert to long-term norms. “Yes, we believe it will go back to long-term averages,” he said.The group’s North American toll roads were up 19.6 per cent to 121,000 trips. Mr Charlton said the United States was further ahead than Australia in a return to normal operating conditions across the economy.