Following our successful involvement in GovHack 2017, Transport for NSW (TfNSW) ran the CongestionHack hackathon in March 2018 to tackle the problem of congestion on our roads.

CongestionHack brought together industry, innovators, entrepreneurs, students and TfNSW staff to pitch ideas and build proof of concepts for dramatically improving congestion in and around Sydney. As Sydney's population grows it continues to put greater demands on our transport networks and infrastructure, leading to congestion. If not managed correctly, congestion can have severe economic, social and environmental impacts.

Road congestion can be a major source of frustration for road users. Although difficult to eliminate entirely, it can be managed more effectively. Congestion directly impacts travellers and commuters by creating unreasonably long journey times that affects productivity, reliability and well-being. It also has wider economic, social and environmental impacts from greater cost, reduced time and increased pollution respectively.

The annual cost of Sydney’s congestion is estimated to be $6.1 billion, making Sydney the most congested city in Australasia. This figure takes into account productivity lost by those unable to access employment due to increased travel times. It also factors in the cost to business and their customers along with the environment impact of congestion.