No, it definitely is. I left Syd in 2006 for China and each time I returned the difference was real. Now I live in Canberra I notice how insane the traffic is even when we go up there on weekends. It seems like peak hour happens every day of the week so I can imagine what it is like Mon-Fri, 9-5. It was nothing like that when I lived there pre-06.
Everytime I see this I want to track down the pollies that opted for cheap vote winning "more roads for cars" policies when more forward thinking people were screaming out for better public transport instead even back in the early 2000s. That lack of political will and foresight has landed Syd and Melb where it is now. Population is an issue, of course, but these cities have the space and the ability to take tens of millions if planned better.
Rant done, thanks for listening!
