Subscribe to RSSNZTA Told Dearer Petrol Will Change Our Car Addiction
Even the NZTA now knows the only way to break Auckland’s motoring addiction and force people into public transport, cycling or walking will be the increasing fuel prices.
A recent study undertaken on behalf of the NZTA concluded that sustained high prices for transport fossil fuels are likely to motivate a gradual – but continual – shift in travel and land use patterns, characterised by increasing demand for alternative transport modes as well as denser and more diverse land use patterns.
Last week, Shell CEO Peter Voser joined a growing chorus of voices announcing the end to cheap oil. When asked about whether the theory of “peak oil” was dead — the theory that oil production will no longer be able to keep up with demand — Mr Voser said “I think what is dead is cheap oil.”
And with petrol prices are at their highest in 18 months, with 91 unleaded costing between 180.9c and 182.9c a litre, the Greens said this makes it economically irresponsible to continue to invest in new roading infrastructure, instead of light rail and bus lanes.
Figures released this week show how investment in public transport, and encouragement of cycling and walking is indeed wise.
The ARC’s briefing for the incoming super - council notes how, since 1994, there has been a significant increase in the use of public transport in the Auckland region. The total number of passenger boardings increased from 33.3 million to 54.7 million (about 64 per cent) between 1994 and 2008. Between June 2008 and June 2009, this increased by 7.7 per cent to 58.6 million trips (see table below).
Rail has shown the greatest increase (albeit from a low base) over the medium term.
Train patronage over the last five years grew 97 per cent to 7.6 million passenger trips per year, in the year to June 2009. The tapering off in vehicle ownership rates and motoring during 2006 and 2007 coincided with a period of very steep climbs in the global price of oil, which translated into marked increases in the prices of petrol and diesel at the pump in New Zealand.
The report says: “This suggests that there is a negative correlation between the price of fuel, vehicle travel per person and per person and the fuel economy of vehicles entering the fleet. Fuel prices are predicted to continue to increase in the long- term.”
The move to cycling to work is on the increase.
Monitoring of cycling rates in Auckland is done in March on each cycle lanes. More than 10,000 cyclist movements passing through 83 monitoring sites were counted in March 2009 during the morning and evening peaks. The number of people cycling during this period appears to have stabilised after 30 years of continual decline. Increases were particularly apparent in Waitakere and North Shore cities following the extension of the North Western Cycle Way and Takapuna and Devonport cycle lanes (those on Lake Rd were under threat of being removed until a council decision last week).
In 2006, 24,000 Auckland residents said they walked to work on Census Day, representing 4.5 per cent of those who worked that day. While the percentage of walkers has remained static over recent years, there has been a large increase in the actual number of people – an increase of 28 per cent between the 2001 and 2006 census.
9 Comments
I filled my car yesterday and was $96 poorer for it. However I am using the car less and PT (trains anyway) more.
A report telling us something we didn’t already know! Perhaps Joyce didn’t know this??
“A recent study undertaken on behalf of the NZTA concluded that sustained high prices for transport fossil fuels are likely to motivate a gradual – but continual – shift in travel and land use patterns, characterised by increasing demand for alternative transport modes as well as denser and more diverse land use patterns.
Last week, Shell CEO Peter Voser joined a growing chorus of voices announcing the end to cheap oil. When asked about whether the theory of “peak oil” was dead — the theory that oil production will no longer be able to keep up with demand — Mr Voser said “I think what is dead is cheap oil.””
Two most telling points here - the first is that the roads-centric NZTA commissioned the report proving that their focus (and that of the Government) is really wrong and the second is that the head of an oil company is saying that cheap oil is over.
I wonder what it will take to get Joyce and Friedlander to accept the reports.
The reports authors have probably already been fired for suggesting such a thing or if they were external at least barred from working on future NZTA studies.
I’m already using my car less and the trains more. Last refill for the car cost $96. Ouch.
Ian, same here apart from I have no viable PT options of getting to work, so have to use my car
, I love my car, but would rather take PT, if only I could…
Ian I’m the same as you. I’m only a 5 min walk to the train station from both home and work so it is really handy. We have reduced to a 1 car household and don’t use the car anywhere near as much as we used to.
When we do use the car it is usually to go longer distances and at times when traffic is less so we are also getting much more efficiency out of it (1 tank of gas is now getting us 50 - 100km longer)
Jon to talk of ‘forcing’ people into PT is a bit strong in my opinion, it’s more about not forcing everyone into a car for every trip they make.
Living where I do in the right part of Melbourne I haven’t driven a car in months, despite having one at my disposal if I need it.
This is due to a combination of good easily accessible PT to get me to work and other places of interest, plus also important is the fact that I can walk to the local supermarket, shops and cafes in about two or three minutes. My total cost of travel is my $29 weekly pass, plus a bit of additional wear on the shoe leather
That “recent study” actually comes from 2008 and was authored by some people who definitely DO know what they’re talking about.
Here’s the paper in full: http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/research/reports/357/index.html