21 May 2012
Pump prices have finally fallen – after the AA first called for prices to drop a month ago – with Z cutting the price of petrol 4 cents per litre, and diesel 3c. It’s the first price change in 10 weeks, and the first price drop since early February. It’s also the longest period that motorists have ever paid so much – $2.20/litre – for petrol. While petrol prices peaked at $2.22/litre in May 2011, that lasted less than a week – the previous longest run was a month on $2.19/litre in early 2011. The highest diesel price was $1.92/litre for 10 days in 2008.
18 May 2012
The text and drive test. A Belgian driving school proves why it's just too dangerous.
11 May 2012
In Europe cycle lanes have turned out to be more than just a facility for commuters and tourists. They are also fast becoming a lane for a new range of cycle-based businesses and services. Cycle logistics is the latest project from the European Union which between May 2011 until April 2014 is funding companies to try using bicycles instead of motorcycles for deliveries. Cycle logistics will aim to replace 25% of motorised delivery trips which are less than five kilometres in major cities.
11 May 2012
How many people should be killed and hurt on New Zealand roads this year?
10 May 2012
The ability to work across political boundaries to achieve better transport integration within economically coherent regions is becoming an important source of trade competitiveness. That was the view of Professor Catherine Ross of the Georgia Tech Center for Quality Growth and Regional Development speaking at a forum on regional connectivity at the International Transport Forum meeting in Leipzig, 4 May.
10 May 2012
French tyre manufacturer Michelin seems to be quietly building a platform for itself as a potential vehicle chassis manufacturer in a hydrogen powered future. At the International Transport Forum in Leipzig the €17bn company was demonstrating hydrogen fuel cell and electric battery vehicles using its technology.
7 May 2012
Build it, and they will come. Such has been the mantra of many infrastructure pundits – particularly in the private sector.
3 May 2012
Cities are built to trade, but is the way we trade around the city making the best use of road space? This is one of the questions being considered at the International Transport Forum’s Annual summit, being held in Leipzig. Peter King reports from the conference.
20 April 2012
What’s happening with fuel prices? There’s been no change in pump prices for just over a month (since 14 March), but Brent oil prices have dropped about US$10/barrel (8%) in the meantime. By comparison, the commodity price for refined petrol has only fallen about US$2/barrel (1.7%) in that time. With the NZ$ largely unchanged, that means the imported cost of petrol has fallen about 2 cents per litre since the last price rise (and diesel down 3c). Even so, it would be nice for the fuel companies to pass that saving onto motorists at the pump.At current commodity prices, the imported cost of petrol makes up just under half of the price of a litre of petrol ($1.08/litre) – and taxes another 89 cents. By comparison, the imported cost of diesel is $1.09/litre, so if excise tax was included in the price of diesel, as it is in petrol (instead of RUC), the retail price of diesel would be $2.21/litre (including GST).
17 April 2012
“Unauthorised vehicles will be towed away.” Every driver will have seen signs like this in countless car parks and assumed they know what they mean but a recent legal battle has highlighted a frightening lack of rules controlling the operation of privately-owned public car parks.
