Originally Posted by
Sianelle
Here in NZ the price of petrol has been creeping towards $2.00 a litre for some time now which makes running a car an expensive proposition. Already we're seeing an increased return to the use of public transport and bicycles as a means of getting around, commuting & etc. The owner operated business I purchased my electric hub kit from told me that every shipment he gets in is selling out so fast that he's out of stock long before the next shipment arrives.
The second hand market for SUVs is pretty much glutted and there's a definite trend towards buying smaller more fuel efficient cars and of course hybids. Local and central government are beginning to plan for alternative transport solutions to the private car, - so I guess if fuel continues to climb in price we'll see social change towards a non-car centred lifestyle which has to be a good thing.
^^ An example of it in action in the real world. All I'm saying is instead of waiting for all this to happen naturally, and it eventually will unless something drastic interrupts it, lets cause it to happen. Add $1 per year to a fuel tax and you not only cause it, you give people enough time to handle it. Some people will still use cars when it's $10, $15, or $20 a gallon (or wherever we cap it), but there wouldn't be many and they would have very efficient cars that they didn't use much. In 20 years we would probably have a world that was very easy to live in and enjoy without a car.