Managing Transport Challenges When Oil Prices Rise
A report by several teams of transport, economic and legal experts led by Auckland consultancy McCormick Rankin Cagney predicts a decline in private car use until 2011 in response to fuel prices, which it expects to rise to a plateau around $2.80 a litre of petrol and $2.50c for diesel.
The report expects annual distances travelled in light vehicles to remain below their 2007 level of just under 32 billion kilometres until around 2016, after which economic and population growth will prevail in the absence of strong action to support public transport, walking and cycling alternatives. But it says that the "no regrets" payoff will be an economy and society much better equipped to face future oil shocks.
Other measures include:
- Reallocating more road space to buses, cyclists and pedestrians.
- Removing minimum parking space requirements for buildings from district plans.
- Transferring fringe benefit tax liabilities from public transport passes for staff, to company parking spaces.
- Requiring workplaces to provide showers and lockers for staff who walk or cycle.
- Encouraging home deliveries of household goods.
The appendix is interesting - the current economic evaulation manual statest that for roading projects, the effects of induced traffic can effectively be ignored, while for public transport projects, they must be included - Ed
Full Herald report here.
Download the report here. (700Mb approx, PDF)