The transportation sector has an impact on every aspect of New Zealand’s life and business. It:
directly affects our quality of life by allowing us access to friends and family, education, employment, recreation, and other social opportunities
allows the movement of people, goods and services within New Zealand and with other nations.
New Zealanders have one of the highest vehicle ownership rates in the world, and most of our travel is by car. Fifty-five percent of all road travel is now by car drivers, with 35 percent by car passengers. The average occupancy rate is 1.3 people per car. In comparison, there are few trips made by public transport, walking or cycling.
Because of the way our transport system has been developed, it can be very difficult for people without access to a car to get around. Our transport system can both enable and impede the mobility of New Zealanders.
Our high dependence on cars has some significant environmental impacts. Cars use energy less efficiently than other modes – walking uses 10 times less energy and cycling uses around 100 times less energy than a car… and food is a renewable resource.
Figure: Kilojoules of energy required per person per kilometre travelled
Reference: www.zeus-europe.org/FILES/Zeus.pdf
Cars use petroleum products as their energy source, which releases greenhouse gases and other chemicals that can pollute the air and water.
Some other environmental effects caused by transport include:
emissions and discharges to land and water
amenity impacts
the use of non-renewable resources
land take
biodiversity losses.
Our choice of transport can also have some significant economic and social costs – such as congestion, increasing average living costs and affecting our access to services and level of personal fitness. Making sustainable transport choices helps reduce the impact on the environment, the economy, and society.
The Ministry of Transport has responsibility for transport policy development and advice to the Government, although other agencies also play a part in transport management.
Walking and cycling are the most energy efficient and sustainable ways to travel. Over the same distance, cycling is almost 10 times more efficient than walking, and over 100 times more efficient than driving a petrol car.
One third of all trips made by cars in New Zealand are less than 2 kilometres, and two thirds are less than 6 kilometres. These distances can easily be covered by cycle or foot, often more quickly, and definitely much more cheaply than other modes.
Currently 46% of adult New Zealanders are overweight or obese, and health experts recommend a minimum of 30 minutes activity each day to be healthy. Walking or cycling short journeys instead of driving a car is a simple way to get exercise, and easy to build into our daily routine.
Recent government decisions have placed a much higher emphasis on walking and cycling. A dedicated $3 million fund is now available for the first time, and a National Cycling and Walking Strategy is being developed by the Ministry of Transport.
Some schools are beginning to adopt “walking school buses”, which encourage children to walk to school in a safe and supervised way. The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) has developed a guide to setting up walking school buses.
Cycling Advocates Network – also contains links to other cycling websites
Bicycle Federation of Australia
Bicycles Network Australia – contains links to Australian, New Zealand, and international cycling websites
Bicycling Life – provides advice on first-time commuting, safety, repairs, and advocacy