Kiwis ready to leave car at home

A dramatic shift away from private vehicles is looming, with a quarter of Kiwis preparing to leave their cars at home if the price of petrol hits $2 a litre.

Poll results released to The Dominion Post by the New Zealand Business Council for Sustainable Development, suggest the $2 mark for a litre of unleaded 91 will be a tipping point for motorists.

The $2 mark has been reached in the Coromandel, West Coast, Northland and the East Coast. The vast majority of those polled expect petrol prices to rise further in the next two years.

The survey results, part of a ShapeNZ online poll of 2047 people, came as the price of a barrel of crude hit a record US$126 (about NZ$160) on Friday.

Petrol prices in most parts of New Zealand remained at $1.89 a litre yesterday.

Almost a quarter of those surveyed said they had significantly cut petrol use because of high prices, while 23 per cent said they would significantly reduce petrol use if the price hit $2 a litre.

The next significant tipping point would come at $3 a litre, a grim possibility if crude prices hit the forecast US$200 a barrel.

Last week the Government backed off introducing an emissions tax on fuels in the face of growing concern over the rising cost of living. It also backed away from a regional fuel tax, expected to become law on July 1.

If people are forced from their cars, many are unsure how they will commute.

In Wellington City - with the highest public transport usage in New Zealand - just 52 per cent said they had a viable alternative to their car.

- © Fairfax NZ News