Researchers seek to help Oamaru residents cope with high petrol price

What did you and your family do when the petrol price went over $2.00 a litre last year? During the peak of the world oil price spike last year, even Americans gave up their cars and flocked to public transport. In New Zealand, congestion in the main cities was reduced and ridership on busses and trains was up. Families struggled with $100 bills at the pump and the economy took a hit.

How did your household cope with the high fuel prices? Have you been thinking about making changes?

An interdisciplinary research group at the University of Canterbury has developed a user-friendly computer programme that helps you sort out your fuel use and explore your options. The programme also collects data about your transport needs so that city planners can evaluate possibilities for public transport. The team will be in Oamaru during the week of 5-8 April to provide residents the opportunity to use the software and participate in the research programme. The research base will be set up in Community House and people are welcome to make an appointment or just drop in.

“I think that households are best placed to make their own decisions about how to adjust their travel in the face of fuel price rises,” explains the research leader, Associate Professor Susan Krumdieck, of the UC Department of Mechanical Engineering. “There are a range of options, sharing rides, getting a more efficient vehicle, riding a bike, taking a bus, etc., and different solutions make sense for different people and different trips. The government and councils need to know what adaptations people are likely to make in order to provide those lower cost options. Households need a way to understand, or audit, their fuel use and to explore the savings associated with different ideas they might have. We have developed a rather entertaining Sim game that helps people audit their current fuel use and try out different alternatives.”

Participants populate a week with their activities, and using a map, point and click on their origins and destinations. The program then calculates their distances travelled, fuel used, and costs. A personal analysis of travel shows how exposed people’s essential activities are to fuel price rise. The participant can then explore their options for different trips.

“Our feedback surveys have shown that people actually enjoy playing the game and that they often find out ways they can reduce their travel costs and get other benefits. For example, many people in Christchurch have been surprised that some of their car trips are only 2-3 km. That’s only about 5-10 min on a bike. We’ve had people give biking a go for one or two trips a week because they could see how it would fit in with their schedule of activities. So, their getting a bit more exercise as a bonus to saving on fuel.” Said Dr. Krumdieck.

The research team will be coming to Oamaru 5-8 April and will have the game available in the Community House during the day and evening hours. The game also collects data about what transport engineers call “normal travel demand” and about the ways people would change in response to price rise. This information is important for councils when planning bus services, bike paths, and car pool services, and for entrepreneurs thinking about new ways to help people use less fuel.

A random selection of Oamaru residents will be invited to participate by post, but anyone is welcome to make an appointment with the research team or just come by the Community House. If you’d like to participate send an email to Montira at mwa66@student.canterbury.ac.nz, or phone 03 364 2987 extn. 7243.

The team from Canterbury University will also be holding a public forum at the Ink Box in the Opera House to discuss the survey and discuss the communities reliance on fuel. The forum is FREE and takes place on Tuesday 7th April at 7pm.