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Transport

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.

Environmental effects

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

Approximate values: petrol car 2900; diesel car 2100; bus 900; electric train 600; walk 250; bike 50.

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.

Last updated: 17 September 2007