Andrew Wade believes the driver of the previously parked Mercedes van was too busy concentrating on "pulling out into a crazy straight of traffic" that he not only didn't see Mr Wade filming from the footpath, but didn't stop when he clipped him with the car's mirror.

Mr Wade said he was filming the traffic congestion to demonstrate that the roads in the northern suburbs were already at peak capacity and should not be burdened by further development, pointing specifically to a proposal to turn Thirroul Plaza into a shopping centre with 82 apartments.

That development has already been plagued by criticism from Transport for NSW and Wollongong City Council for its traffic modelling, with both organisations saying the plan should not be allowed in its current form.

TfNSW advice said that with Thirroul traffic already congested, this development could make it significantly worse.

"TfNSW believes the development, in its current form, will significantly increase congestion in Thirroul and create a number of road safety issues," Transport's advice to Wollongong City Council said.

TfNSW criticised the developer's traffic estimates, saying it appeared to have been done on days that "may not be representative of peak conditions" on Lawrence Hargrave Drive.

Meanwhile, Mr Wade said his videos showed that someone could move along Lawrence Hargrave Drive "about 20 times faster" on foot than driving on a weekend.

He blamed the increased traffic on Sydney day-trippers coming south to enjoy a "cracking day", but said he did not resent them for wanting to visit an "awesome part of the world" and they were "bloody welcome".

"But we just can't put more traffic on this road," he said, describing the snarl as "absolutely insane" and "out of control".

"Something's got to be done".