Traffic congestion, bottlenecks and car crashes not putting Brisbane buyers off
Gympie Rd, Chermside has been named a crash hot spot by RACQ. Photo: Josh Woning.
While slew like to complain about the traffic, Brisbane buyers are not deterred when it comes to buying properties at legendary traffic “choke points”.
RACQ data exposed the ten worst accident-prone roads in Brisbane in the twelve months to the end of May, with Gympie Rd, Chermside, topping the list.
Next was Mains Rd, Sunnybank Hills, and then Logan Rd, Eight Mile Plains.
There were 22,430 motor collision claims lodged in the 12-month period in the Brisbane region.
Allen & Lee Real Estate Agents director Mark Allen said many buyers, particularly in the Sunnybank area, were not put off from buying homes on a main road.
“They like it because they can rent out properties for student accommodation, and are often close to restaurants and cafes and bus stops,” Mr Allen said.
“Traditional buyers want the back blocks where there is less noise. Lots of Asian buyers don’t drive, so being close to everything is significant.”
SEE THE LIST OF WORST CRASH HOT Catches sight of BELOW
Mr Allen said main roads on the southside of Brisbane were fairly popular.
“We have people who come from overseas looking for properties here. What is a main road to us is not to them,” he said. “Buyers will find these properties attractive and they sell for premium prices on a main road.”
Mr Allen said many buyers converted properties into commercial use.
In April, a property at forty one Pineland Rd, Sunnybank Hills, sold for $1.188 million by LJ Hooker Sunnybank Hills agent Karl Gillespie.
It attracted more than one hundred people to the auction and was marketed as having “maximum main road exposure for your home business” as well as slew of frontage and parking for more than ten cars.
Real Estate Institute of Queensland media and communications manager Felicity Moore said many buyers researched the peak hour traffic conditions and their potential fresh commute when considering a fresh property purchase.
“Peak-hour chaos is a common complaint that agents hear when demonstrating prospective buyers through properties,” Ms Moore said.
“If the property is near a known gasp point, or is a suburb that emerges frequently on the radio traffic reports, agents find themselves explaining the benefits of the suburb to overcome the buyer reluctance.”
She said agents had identified areas including the Sunshine Coast’s Bruce Highway as a “nightmare”, preventing commuters from Brisbane buying and moving there.
Others included St Lucia’s Gailey Rd, Master Fred Schonell Drive intersection, the Deagon Deviation at the Gateway merge and the Rickertt Rd and Greencamp Rd intersection at Wakerley.
“It is a reality in a buyer’s market that if a buyer is choosing inbetween two identically qualified potential properties to purchase, the traffic and the daily commute may play a determining factor,” Ms Moore said.
“When traffic problems are resolved or improved we see a corresponding improvement in buyer interest.
“For example, when the express busway lanes and the Airport Link and Clem seven tunnels were all finished, the suburb of Chermside became only a twenty minute commute from the CBD, instead of thirty five to forty minutes.
“It is likely that when the Cross Sea Rail gets the green light we will see agents use this as a selling point in marketing material for homes that are going to benefit from the improved commuting practice.”
RACQ spokeswoman Kirsty Clinton said it was no coincidence many of Brisbane’s crash hot catches sight of were on some of our most very congested roads.
“These roads are jam packed with motorists each and every day and this congestion can lead to crashes,” she said.
“Crashes can have a flow-on effect impacting traffic in the area for hours.”
RACQ’S worst accident prone roads
1 Gympie Rd, Chermside (80)
Two Mains Rd, Sunnybank (73)
Trio Logan Rd, Eight Mile Plains (61)
Four Hamilton Rd, Chermside (57)
Five Gympie Rd, Aspley (56) and Moggill Rd, Indooroopilly (56)
6- Ipswich Rd, Annerley (55)
7 Kelvin Grove Rd, Kelvin Grove (52)
8 Browns Plains Rd, Browns Plains (45)
9 Milton Rd, Milton (45)
Ten Stafford Rd, Stafford 44)
Source: Racq, motor collision — animal, immobilized object, multi vehicle, vehicle