 | The Impact Of Rising Oil Prices On Sydney Suburbs | TOD: Australia/New Zealand | The Bullroarer - Monday 12 May 2008 |  |
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Well it is all relative of course but I think a car makes one's life in Melbourne FAR more pleasant than to not have one. Especially having a family.
I have no intention of going without personal transportation.
I think you are like most people in wanting to maintain your own sense of personal travel choices and having a car in the garage gives you that individual freedom. It is going to be very difficult for anyone to have the same sense of freedom derived from having a train or tram stop nearby, when that system can anever deliver the same experience as car ownership.
I think cars will be with us for a long time yet and there will be plenty of things people will give up, before their freedom that comes with owning a car. The usage of the car could be one of those things, where the family car is used only on special occasions and for special trips. Daily life may revolve around working and living locally either within walkable suburbs or supplemented with public transport.
In this scenario it really doesnt make much difference if your car is a monster gas guzzler or not. The overall cost of trips in it will no longer be a large part of your income, therefore the big SUV might be the way to go.
Example:
Raod Trip from Melbourne to the Gold Coast.
Driving in Large 4WD (SUV) with trailer and 7 people inc driver
assume 15L/100km @ $5.00/L = Total one way cost $1012.50
or $144 per person.
Driving a small car (Corrolla?) with 4 peopel inc driver
assume 6L/100Km @ $5.00/L = Total one way cost $405.00
or $101.25 per person.
The large SUV is probably going to be more comfortable, definitely more powerful, and arguably safer than the small car. Particularly for Australian road trips it may also be far more versatile, especailly post peak when the raods may not be so good.
For the sake of $43 extra per person, I'd go with the 4WD (SUV) every time. Each trip I made in it would be carefully planned to maximise passenger cost efficiency of course and the vehicle would be gargaed for most of its life meaning I could get three or four decades out of it. That would see me out.