How long did it take you to get to work today?

Did you have to wait for the next train because the first was full?

Or were you stuck in grid-lock, virtually doubling your travel time?

Congestion on our roads is getting worse and worse, and not just on weekdays.

“Trying to drive from one side of the city, in Sydney in particular, to the other side on a Saturday can be worse!” says Chris Smith.

“It’s total chaos!”

To help ease the pain, a report into the growth of Australia’s major cities is suggesting a congestion charge be put in place.

But Grattan Institute Transport Program Director Marion Terrill tells Chris, despite a fast-growing population, “commute distances and times have barely changed”.

“For a lot of people, it may be more crowded and less comfortable, but it is not actually taking them any longer and they’re not travelling any further.”

Ms Terrill says the point of the congestion tax is to offer an incentive to people to not travel during peak periods.

“Plenty of people who could travel, and would be incentivised to save money by travelling at off-peak times or taking a different method of transport.

“At the moment the incentive isn’t really there for them.”

Click PLAY below to hear the full interview