cars Archive

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  Wellington’s unpopular new tunnel still going ahead - by frog

  
  
  
  Wellingtonista quickly summarises the protest this morning about the City Council’s plans to go on a massively expensive road building spree from Ngauranga to Wellington airport. The plans include a Basin Reserve flyover and further car tunnels under Mount Victoria and The Terrace (just as we enter a financial crisis, peak oil and the need [...] read more
  October 31, 2008 3:57 pm - 13 Comments
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  A will but no way - by frog

  
  
  
  Today’s Shape New Zealand poll asked respondents a series of questions about what actions they have taken personally in the past year to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help manage climate change.  Some of the transport answers are: Used alternative everyday travel options rather than use a vehicle – 25% Walked (rather than using the [...] read more
  October 15, 2008 11:23 am - 5 Comments
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  Subsidising the oil burning industry - by frog

  
  
  
  George Monbiot has this story from the northern hemisphere about ‘the other bail out’: Last week, George Bush agreed to lend $25bn to US car manufacturers. It’s a soft loan, which will cost the government $7.5bn (1). Few people noticed; fewer fought it. The House of Representatives approved the measure by 370 votes to 58. [...] read more
  October 14, 2008 3:21 pm - 9 Comments
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  Donna Wynd on strict liability for drivers who hit cyclists - by frog

  
  
  
  There has been some debate among frogblog commenters here about the part of the Green transport policy which talks about introducing clearer criminal liability for crashes involving active modes so that motorised vehicles are liable unless the pedestrian or cyclist has been reckless. Or, to put it more simply, Jeanette said in her speech on [...] read more
  September 24, 2008 3:55 pm - 12 Comments
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  Transport policy – $1 off peak fares anywhere in your city - by frog

  
  
  
  Jeanette announced the Greens’ transport policy – ‘Smart Moves’ yesterday at one of Wellington’s Car Free Day events. She noted that the key elements of the policy were ‘more choices for commuters and protection from prices at the petrol pump.’ Here’s the problem: This year we are spending just under $2 billion on roading work, [...] read more
  September 22, 2008 3:31 pm - 53 Comments
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  Car Free Day – Wellington - by frog

  
  
  
  This photo below shows the space fifty people in cars take, and the space taken by the same amount of people in a bus.  It’s also supposed to show the space the same number of people on bicycles take up, but the cyclists seem to be mingling in sociably with pedestrians and and other gadabouts [...] read more
  September 22, 2008 12:21 pm - 19 Comments
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  The Emissions Trading Scheme: time for your thoughts - by frog

  
  
  
  Chris Trotter has a pleasingly simple view on the world sometimes.  If something is supported by Labour and opposed by National it is good.  This is his view of the ETS despite the fact that it risks very real inequities that could hurt ordinary New Zealanders at the expense of big business.  Hence his plea [...] read more
  August 21, 2008 3:06 pm - 70 Comments
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  Dirty ol’ Arctic - by frog

  
  
  
  According to the American National Science Foundation coal burning, primarily in North America and Europe, has contaminated the Arctic and is potentially affecting human health and ecosystems in and around Earth’s polar regions. Detailed measurements from a Greenland ice core showed pollutants from burning coal–the toxic heavy metals cadmium, thallium and lead–were much higher than [...] read more
  August 21, 2008 11:07 am - 1 Comment
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  big cars - by frog

  
  
  
  Spareroom found this children’s guide for life online comic book: It’s a bit harsh. There’s a place for big cars but that place probably isn’t suburban commuting or grocery trips. read more
  August 8, 2008 2:42 pm - 16 Comments
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  I’m glad you asked - by Jeanette Fitzsimons

  
  
  
  I’m glad to see my post on the issue of vehicle fuel efficiency standards has provoked such interest. Here are a few answers to a few questions: Kevyn, – my briefing on the $148m saved on power bills since the MEPs came in was an oral one but you could write to EECA and ask [...] read more
  July 30, 2008 12:16 pm - 11 Comments
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  Government needs to give people choices as prices rise - by frog

  
  
  
  There have been some interesting statistics from StatsNZ over the last couple of days. Seasonally adjusted motor vehicle retail sales are down nearly 15% between April and May this year.  Total retail sales fell for the month by $69 million but that can mostly be attributed to people buying less cars (down by over $100 [...] read more
  July 15, 2008 12:39 pm - 21 Comments
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  We’re spending less on cars but more on food and credit cards - by frog

  
  
  
  There is some interesting data in the February 2008 Retail Trade Survey results released this morning. The two big industry groups to have a significant impact on the figures were cars and groceries. Our retail sales for February fell $42 million but would have been relatively static except that motor vehicle retailing fell 5.8 percent [...] read more
  April 14, 2008 12:04 pm - 3 Comments
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  Electric Cars and Behaviour Change - by frog

  
  
  
  While I fully support the government’s vision to move New Zealand to an electric vehicle fleet, at least in principle, I have often wondered what kind of behaviour changes this would require of the citizenry. I have also enquired how much more electricity generation we would need to make the switch. The off the record [...] read more
  March 18, 2008 9:16 am - 23 Comments
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  US tells California; no clean cars - by frog

  
  
  
  On Friday, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), acting under advice from the Bush administration, rejected California’s plan to limit greenhouse gases from cars, saying it was a global problem that needed to be dealt with at the federal, not state, level. The EPA argued that California is not suffering “compelling and extraordinary conditions” [...] read more
  March 3, 2008 11:57 am - 11 Comments
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  Does stopping at McDonald’s drive through take oh so much time? - by frog

  
  
  
  It appears CubeMe has the answer – the Exhaust Pipe Grill. Now you can cook your cow with petrol too, as well as raising it on oil-based fertilisers, pesticides and maize silage. read more
  February 19, 2008 1:39 pm - 3 Comments
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  Expect a big impact from the little Nano - by frog

  
  
  
  Indian car company Tata Motors has gone and invented the world’s cheapest car, the Nano, and is expecting to manufacture 250,000 Nanos in its first year of production, before expanding production into Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia. So, with hundreds of thousands of cheap cars suddenly available to large parts of the world that [...] read more
  January 16, 2008 8:44 am - 37 Comments