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Peak Oil in the Media

November 28, 2009 @ 14:58 By Gavin Webber 5 Comments

I have just finished a photo shoot with the local paper, with the story being about the looming oil crisis and how our town has been listed in a report as the #1 affected community by rising oil prices in Victoria.

This is the rub.  We have no industry to speak of, we are totally dependent on transportation for food, with no major food production close by except for Bacchus Marsh which is about 15km away, our bus routes around town are minimal, and the entire town is just one big suburb that you have to drive everywhere to do anything.  We have a railway station and a rail link to the city, but no rail freight facilities.  This community will be heavily hit when the supply of cheap oil is over taken by demand again due to the low socio-economic demographic.  This is one of the two reasons I founded the Melton Sustainable Living Group, the other being climate change.

Anyway, enough about the town.  I had the Honda Civic Hybrid out on the street, being photgraphed doing my best Blue Steel.  Ben even had a few shots with me.  I had to keep moving the car off of the street everytime someone wanted to go past as the photographer wanted a shot of the car and I at an angle across the entire street.  I am glad it was a quiet morning.  I was interviewed on Thursday over the phone, so when it hits the press, I post up the link.  The interview was basically about the benefits of travelling to the city by rail compared to driving in an average family car.  Here is a comparison of various modes of transport which includes emissions from public transport in Victoria so you can what I mean (I believe the three car modes indicate taxis);


Transport mode

Energy use
(MJ per
passenger-km)


Emissions
(g CO2-e per
passenger-km)


Petrol Car


3.7


286


LPG/CNG Car


3.7


256


Ethanol (E10) Car

3.7


253


Electric Tram


0.15


52


Diesel Bus


0.28


22


Ethanol (E10) Bus


0.28


19


Natural Gas Bus


0.28


18


Electric Train


0.04


14


Diesel Train (V/Line


0.1


8


250cc Motorcycle


1.6


124


1000cc Motorcycle


2.3


178

So, basically the V/Line train that I catch is not only the most environmentally friendly way to get to the city, it is also much cheaper than the fuel and the total running costs of a car (even a hybrid).  Once you add in the yearly cost for vehicle insurance, registration, maintenance and licence renewal, public transport wins hands down cost wise.  Seeing a daily train ticket is only $10.60 (full fair, zone 1 & 2) for all buses, trams and trains you want to use, I figure it would cost me about $4 in fuel and at least $13 in parking fees if I drove.  That is a $7 dollar direct saving per day, even when you don’t take the indirect cost of running a car into account. 

As I do live in a town where I needed a car, I chose the most fuel efficient one I could lease at the time.  After 3 years I now own it, and my cost are even lower because I have ceased to drive it to work, catching the train instead.  Yes, I still have to use petrol, but I have found that I only use 40L in two months.  Now that has to be good.  I walk where I can, and will be riding more when my back heals fully from this latest relapse that occured in August.  I am nearly ready to get back on the bike!

To end the post I thought I would include some Hybrid fun by the way of a video by Casual Mafia. I love this clip. 

Here is to travelling green and using less fossil fuels, mainly because soon we just will not be able to afford to!

Gavin

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Related

Filed Under: climate change, Peak Oil, Transport

← It Used to Rain Like This Once…. Low Pressure Drip Irrigation Part 3 →

About Gavin Webber

Gavin Webber's daily goal is to live a more sustainable lifestyle, in an effort to reduce his family's environmental footprint so we can all make a difference for our children & future generations to come.

Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

Comments

  1. Andrew says

    November 28, 2009 at 16:33

    Of course there is also riding a bike, no emmissions and no fosil fuels.

    Reply
  2. Aimee says

    November 29, 2009 at 02:45

    I assume the public transit figures are all for a full vehicle? Do the buses and trains actually run at full capacity very often?

    Reply
  3. bayside gardener says

    November 29, 2009 at 06:47

    Love the casual mafia clip Gav.
    Cheers
    Anita

    Reply
  4. Gordon says

    November 29, 2009 at 22:05

    Great to see someone getting this kind of information out there. This is the meaningful stuff that people can relate to.

    All strength to you

    Gordon

    Reply
  5. Gavin says

    November 29, 2009 at 22:24

    Hi everyone. Thanks for the comments.

    @ Andrew. My bike will be getting a flogging over the summer. I love using it to pick up small amounts of grocery items, or just for checking out town.

    @ Aimee. Yes, the stats are for a fully laden vehicle. Our buses are about 50% full most of the time, however the trains are 95-120% utilised all the time.

    @ Anita. Lovely to hear from you. I agree, it is a cool clip.

    @ Gordon. You are most welcome. Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment.

    Gav

    Reply

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About Gavin Webber

About Gavin Webber

An Ordinary Australian Man Who Has A Green Epiphany Whilst Watching A Documentary, Gets a Hybrid Car, Plants A Large Organic Vegetable Garden, Goes Totally Solar, Lowers Consumption, Feeds Composts Bins and Worms, Harvests Rainwater, Raises Chickens, Makes Cheese and Soap, and Eats Locally. All In The Effort To Reduce Our Family's Carbon Footprint So We Can Start Making A Difference For Our Children & Future Generations To Come.

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