Carless days
Encyclopedia
Carless days were introduced by the Muldoon
government of New Zealand
on 30 July 1979. The enabling legislation was one of several unsuccessful attempts to help the declining New Zealand economy after the oil shock
s of the late 1970s - other such policies included the Think Big
strategy.
In this scheme, the owners of all private petrol-powered motor vehicles under 4400 pounds (1,995.8 kg), with the exception of motorcycles, were required to refrain from using their car on one day of the week, that day being designated by the owner. Thursday was the most frequently chosen day. Each car displayed a sticker on its windscreen which noted the day on which it could not be used, and infringements were punishable by a hefty fine. Other restrictions were also brought in, including reducing the open-road speed limit from 100 km/h to 80 km/h and restricting the hours that petrol could be sold at service stations and garages
.
The carless days scheme lasted barely a year (though the 80 km/h limit remained for several years). The legislation was a failure for a number of reasons. Most importantly, exemptions were allowed, indicated by an exemption sticker. A black market for exemption stickers and imitations of them quickly developed, rendering the scheme unworkable. There was also a distinct problem in inequality — households that could afford to run two cars could simply choose different days for the two cars and continue to drive on all seven days as before. In addition, there is anecdotal evidence of people driving considerably greater mileages to achieve their daily travel needs on days they had the use of one car rather than two.
Robert Muldoon
Sir Robert David "Rob" Muldoon, GCMG, CH served as the 31st Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1975 to 1984, as leader of the governing National Party. Muldoon had been a prominent member of the National party and MP for the Tamaki electorate for some years prior to becoming leader of the party...
government of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
on 30 July 1979. The enabling legislation was one of several unsuccessful attempts to help the declining New Zealand economy after the oil shock
1979 energy crisis
The 1979 oil crisis in the United States occurred in the wake of the Iranian Revolution. Amid massive protests, the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, fled his country in early 1979 and the Ayatollah Khomeini soon became the new leader of Iran. Protests severely disrupted the Iranian oil...
s of the late 1970s - other such policies included the Think Big
Think Big
The New Zealand Prime Minister Robert Muldoon and his New Zealand National Party government in the early 1980s sponsored Think Big as an interventionist state economic strategy. The Think Big schemes saw the government borrow heavily overseas, running up a large external deficit, and using the...
strategy.
In this scheme, the owners of all private petrol-powered motor vehicles under 4400 pounds (1,995.8 kg), with the exception of motorcycles, were required to refrain from using their car on one day of the week, that day being designated by the owner. Thursday was the most frequently chosen day. Each car displayed a sticker on its windscreen which noted the day on which it could not be used, and infringements were punishable by a hefty fine. Other restrictions were also brought in, including reducing the open-road speed limit from 100 km/h to 80 km/h and restricting the hours that petrol could be sold at service stations and garages
Filling station
A filling station, also known as a fueling station, garage, gasbar , gas station , petrol bunk , petrol pump , petrol garage, petrol kiosk , petrol station "'servo"' in Australia or service station, is a facility which sells fuel and lubricants...
.
The carless days scheme lasted barely a year (though the 80 km/h limit remained for several years). The legislation was a failure for a number of reasons. Most importantly, exemptions were allowed, indicated by an exemption sticker. A black market for exemption stickers and imitations of them quickly developed, rendering the scheme unworkable. There was also a distinct problem in inequality — households that could afford to run two cars could simply choose different days for the two cars and continue to drive on all seven days as before. In addition, there is anecdotal evidence of people driving considerably greater mileages to achieve their daily travel needs on days they had the use of one car rather than two.