The H2 salute

SUV exploding art

The level of motor vehicle use in NZ and Australia was unsustainable long before SUVs became fashionable. Whilst this can not be solved overnight, we can at least change the direction we are taking.

For politicians:

• Support the proposals from the Pedestrian Council of Australia for drivers of larger vehicles to require tougher license conditions and receive extra driver education.
• Ban metal bull bars in Australian cities and on all NZ vehicles.
• Higher fuel taxes, especially on New Zealand diesel.
• An end to Australia's policy of taxing imported 4WDs less than other passenger cars. (5% for 4WDs  but 10% for others).
• New Zealand to follow the rest of the developed world and introduce a fuel consumption labeling scheme on all vehicles.

For environmental organisations:
Our largest environmental NGOs, including the ACF and Greenpeace barely mention transport, despite it being our fastest growing source of greenhouse emissions. This must change.

For everybody else:

• Get rid of politicians who won't stand up to the car lobby (or are part of it themselves).
• Go and enjoy the great outdoors on foot.  Show the petrol-heads that there are other ways to 'go somewhere interesting'.
• If you own a car at all, keep it tuned, use it as little as possible, and keep it as long as possible (minimise life-cycle cost) and consider converting it to run on LPG or CNG.
• If buying a car take the time to look up the emissions, fuel economy and crash ratings including pedestrian crash ratings.
• Don't shop at stores running discount fuel scams. There is no need for our grocery bills to subsidise petrol use.
• Don't fund or join car industry lobbyists (NRMA, RAA, AA, RACQ etc.)