EVERY weekday, associate principal Nancy McNally travels from her home in Alkimos to her work at Comet Bay College in Secret Harbour — a 216km return trip that takes at least two hours in each direction.

“My colleagues all think I’m nuts,” she said. “But none of them ever complain about it taking them half hour or more to get to school as they all know how far I drive and I don’t ever whinge about it!

“I leave home at 6am, drop my son off to before school care in Joondalup and get back on the freeway and get to work by 8am.

“Home stretch can be quicker if I get away from school before 3.30pm, otherwise it’s a minimum of two hours back.

“If there has been an accident or rain, it can add significant time to the journey.

Camera Icon Nancy McNally says she never whinges about spending four hours every day travelling to and from work. Credit: PerthNow, Danella Bevis.

“My car is only one year old and I’ve already done 53,000km.”

A national snapshot of travel times show some Perth residents spend more than 600 hours a year travelling to and from work in the CBD – the same time it would take to walk to Adelaide.

The findings are from a national survey of 5000 commuters by the Australian Automobile Association, in conjunction with the RAC in WA.

And, according to RAC general manager corporate affairs Will Golsby, the problem is probably going to get worse.

“By 2031 it is predicted that, without change, seven of the 10 most congested roads in the country will be right here in Perth, and that the cost of congestion will be more than $16 billion a year,” he said.

“This is why it is critical that the community is given certainty on how the State is going to manage congestion."

Ms McNally said she usually listened to music during her journey — “I have an extensive Apple Music playlist” — or just chills in silence, thinking about her tasks for the day or winding down in the afternoon.

She has no plans to ever move closer to her work — she loves living in Alkimos too much.

And she loves her role at Comet Bay and the people she works with.

“I certainly wouldn't travel that far if I didn't love it,” she said.