The Government's Gift to the Next Generation.

-

The Sunday Times printed an interesting article about the dropping numbers of teenage driving licenses in New Zealand. Since 2008 there has been a 10% decrease in 19 year olds holding a licence, almost 20% for 18 year olds, about 25% for 17 year olds and 50% for 16 year olds. It is very clear that there is a steadily growing increase in young people not wanting to drive.

When I was young most of my peers had their driver's licence by the age of 16 and when I was a second year university student I owned my first car. Both of my children have Learners Licenses, yet they have had little interest in following through to get their Restricted. My son is now 20 and my daughter is 18, both are attending university in Wellington and find walking and public transport works well for them.

Many reasons are given for not having a drivers licence: the tests are much harder than before; the responsibility of driving is perceived to be much greater; the cost of owning and running a car are seen to be prohibitive (when many are lumbered with student loans); the efficiency of public transport is improving; some have even decided not to drive for environmental reasons. The fact that young people can now communicate using diverse social media has also changed the need to use cars to connect up with friends.

Traffic volumes have leveled off over the past 10 years and the demand for public transport in our largest city is growing steadily. One would assume that with fewer people wanting to drive cars and no increase in traffic volumes, that a substantial investment in new motorways is nonsensical and yet that is exactly what this current Government is determined to do. $12 billion worth of bitumen based on deliberately skewed analysis. This Government's major investment and gift to the next generations is a whole lot of unnecessary roads.

That $12 billion would make a huge difference to the housing shortage, child poverty, education, health... instead we get some roads. What a sad legacy!

Comments

Armchair Critic said…
I'm not so sure about the title of this one; there seems to be no link between "the Government" and "fewer teens getting their drivers licence". It seems likely to be driven by a range of factors, most of which are nothing to do with the government. Perhaps the gift is miles of under-utilised roads?
March 3, 2014 at 10:00 PM
Dave Kennedy said…
I obviously didn't express myself well, AC, there is no link between the Government and the number of licences being issued. It wasn't my intention to make that link but use the growing number of young people not wanting to drive as an indicator of future demand for roads. The 'gift' was supposed to refer to the motorways, hence my concluding sentence.
March 4, 2014 at 12:15 PM
Armchair Critic said…
It was the "...Government's Gift..." bit that got me, I read the whole post wondering what it was. Anyway, the BC ratios for a lot of the RoNS is such that they are the kind of gift you don't want.
March 4, 2014 at 10:30 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The US is actually unique for not valuing life!

-
Image
"...that’s what sets America apart from every other country; we value life. That is what makes us unique.” - Sarah Sanders There is a high level of delusion operating in the White House. The stream of mistruths that come out of President Trump and Sarah Sanders' mouths are clearly blatant lies but millions of US citizens believe them. With daily diets of Fox News and living in a very insular culture , there is little that challenges these false perceptions of US "greatness".  When comparing the United States of America with most other developed nations it becomes clear that it probably places less value on life than most and doesn't compare well with many developing countries too: If the US really valued life then it would abolish the death penalty, it is the only Western Country that executes people under law ( 23 people were executed in 2018 ).  If the US really valued life then it would have an equitable and universal health care system. The cur
Read more

The Destruction of New Zealand's Public Education System

-
Image
In 2008 New Zealand was internationally ranked in the top seven for educational achievement, and when you compared us with other countries that were also culturally diverse and experiencing growing inequality, we were extremely successful. At that time our Early Childhood sector had received a much overdue boost in funding from the Labour Government after being underfunded (as a % of GDP) compared to other OECD nations for years. The sector was working towards a target of having 100% qualified teachers in all centres. We were also in the process of implementing a new National Curriculum and a complementary curriculum for Maori ( Te Marautanga o Aotearoa ). Teachers were excited about putting all their energies into the new ideas and approaches that were espoused in these co-constructed documents that had taken around seven years to review and write. Evidence, research and practitioner input had created something that would allow us to prepare New Zealand children to become
Read more

ANZAC DAY REFLECTIONS

-
Image
I find ANZAC Day creates a dilemma for me, consequently I rarely attend dawn parades. I fully support people recognising the human cost of wars and remembering family members who lost their lives on battlefields. A grandfather of mine fought in WW1 and was gassed in the French trenches, which compromised his health for the rest of his life. His wife (my grandmother) lost her young brother in WW2. The sacrifices and human costs of war should never be minimalised. However, while speeches at ANZAC parades are full of statements promoting peace and the futility of war, those who campaign hardest for peace, promote nonviolence and call for weapons reductions are often treated like criminals. Anyone who dares to mention our own war crimes or that of our allies are generally shut down or demonised. It has become a sort of cultural heresy to question the reputation and glorification of the ANZACs.  I would love to see greater balance in how we talk about war and properly recognise those who ha
Read more