ALMOST HALF OF Irish drivers are spending longer on commuting to work, or to classes than they were a year ago, a recent survey has indicated.

In response to an AA Car Insurance survey of over 6,500 Irish drivers, 30.29% of those surveyed indicated that they now spend more time on their commute to and from work, university or college than they were 12 months ago.

A further 16.04% stated that this was somewhat true, depending largely on traffic levels.

The survey also found indicators of a growing reliance on the private car, with 20.42% of respondents stating that they were more likely to use a car for their morning commute than they would have been 12 months ago.

Conor Faughnan, AA Director of Consumer Affairs said that as employment has increased since the recession, but the services and infrastructure to deal with that increase has not been put in place.

“…With many public transport options operating at peak capacity during the main morning and evening rush, many are spending longer commuting than they previously have due to increased road traffic,” said Faughnan.

When asked about their commuting habits, 35.26% of those surveyed strongly agreed that a lack of reliable public transport had left them reliant on a car to get to work, even though they would prefer not to use their car. Meanwhile, a further 13.63% indicated that they were somewhat in agreement with this prompt.

Faughnan said of this: “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.”