Given the frequent negative media coverage, there appears to be an increasing stigma associated with owning and operating a four wheel drive in our cities. Evidence to date suggests that this has not resulted in a slowing in sales of new four wheel drives. The space and flexibility, high driving position, relative value for money, and weight advantage in an accident are often espoused as reasons for the popularity of four wheel drives. To date, we have seen local government moves to impose higher parking charges on larger vehicles (for example in North Sydney). State Governments are considering registration charges commensurate with emissions, although the current formula based on vehicle weight is already higher for four wheel drives. This paper seeks for possibly the first time to shed some light on the issue of four wheel drive use in urban areas by examining data from the Sydney Household Travel Survey on four wheel drives users, who they are, how they use their four wheel drives, and whether there are prospects for altering their vehicle choices or usage patterns. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E213716.
Abstract