M1 carpark costing Qld motorists dearly

Motorists who use the Pacific Motorway in peak hour to commute between the Gold Coast and Brisbane are spending four days stuck in traffic every year.

The personal burden of what's been dubbed the "M1 carpark" is being highlighted by Logan Mayor Luke Smith as part of a campaign to get federal election candidates to commit to fixing the motorway.

Mr Smith said figures recorded by the transport department last month showed travelling on the stretch from Logan's south to north borders, a distance of 16km, took an extra 12 minutes in peak hour.

"The trip from Beenleigh to Underwood should take eight minutes," he said.

"At 4am, it does, but by 6am you've hit gridlock and it's carpark speed until 10am."

Mr Smith said a recent study by a federal department had shown the financial cost of traffic delays was about $1000 per motorist each year in Brisbane and was expected to double by 2030.

He said the delays on the Pacific Motorway were just one part of a bigger equation that was holding back people's lives and economic activity in the Logan area.

Loganholme business True Blue Glass had even installed a traffic control room to navigate the congestion and stem financial losses resulting from it, he said.