ISSUE 28 SEPTEMBER 2020
THE VOICE OF THE NEW ZEALAND AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY
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Coronavirus puts more people back in cars WHILE SUPPLY CHAINS COME UNDER PRESSURE FROM THE DISRUPTION CAUSED BY COVID-19, FEAR OF THE DISEASE IS INCREASING PEOPLE’S RELIANCE ON THEIR CARS he government’s announcement that masks will become essential on public transport, while practical, is only likely to accelerate a trend back into cars, as the move makes buses and trains more readily identifiable as high-risk places. It is a trend that is already evident overseas in countries that previously had a much higher passenger usage on public transport. While some of those countries have accelerated development of bike lanes as an alternative, a German study has shown that the temporary lanes installed so far have not reduced the incidence of crashes involving cyclists, especially fatal accidents involving articulated trucks. Lanes protected by kerbs would be more effective but permanent street furniture takes time to build. In Australia, demand for second-hand cars has
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increased as former public transport users are moving back into the ready-made personal transport bubble available in cars. Used car prices in Australia in July 2020 were 30.8 per cent higher than during the April slump in sales. The data from Moody’s Analytics shows the amount people were paying for used vehicles was up 16.2 per cent on pre-pandemic prices. The latest census figures from Stats NZ show that more than 1.5 million people drive to work or school here. It’s the first time this data have been collected, so we don’t have a comparison with previous census data, but it is likely that the Covid pressure noted overseas will increase car use here too. Many city residents will have noted that, while traffic was down immediately after the Level 4 lockdown, within weeks it was back up to preCovid levels — even though more commuters in
white-collar jobs have made arrangements to work from home for part of the week.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 NARVA.CO.NZ
150% MORE LIGHT, EXTREME LIGHT OUTPUT Narva continues to lead the way in the development of performance headlight globes, following the release of the new Plus 150 • Up to 150% more light on the road* • Up to 60 metres longer beam • Suitable for use in polycarbonate headlamps Plus 150
Conventional
Plus 150
Conventional *Compared with a Standard Globe
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