green cars only

[bluegum30]

if your car is green you may park here,otherwise keep circling .
Herald Sun has a story about this .

[AlexS]

Had them in Hornsby Westfield for a few years now.

[I_wanna_Shed]

Whatever. I'd still park in it.

Disabled spots I understand. 'Mothers with prams' spots I don't understand (especially when they are normal width spots, and don't prams have wheels to push them easier?). This one is crazy. I'd take pleasure in parking my V8 in that spot if I still had it.

[Ozkaban]

I always thought that if I was suddenly very wealthy, I'd buy one of those Hummer H1's - not the pathetic H3s on sale here... The original big one. I'd paint it camo green and put a bumper sticker on it saying 'I care about the environment, I drive a green car'. :)

Obviously tongue in cheek, but do you reckon I could park in that spot?

Cheers,
Dave

[damian]

Hybrids aren't green. Apart from the much publicised cradle to grave issues they don't use less fuel than a comparible diesel. In fact in NZ last year we got stuck with a prius for the first week. Driving normally it used more fuel than the corolla we had in the second week, and was one of the worst cars I've ever driven.

Awful seats, ergonomics, virtually nil rearward visibility and poor forward visibility, dangerous brakes terrible power delivery. The only good things I could say about it was the load space was useful and the steering was ok. The corolla was a revelation by comparison, by far the nicest toyota I've ever driven and a superb car for it's type/class.

BTW the military are starting to get rid of the perrenti's. I'm hoping to acquire one during the decommission. Does kaki count as green ? :)

[tea lady]

I would have thought that if your car wasn't green you should park it ASAP. It is much better for the environment for the "green" cars to keep circling! :cool:

[Ozkaban]

I would have thought that if your car wasn't green you should park it ASAP. It is much better for the environment for the "green" cars to keep circling! :cool:

Great idea. Would give them even more chance to show off their green-ness.

Ever noticed how close the words Pious and Prius are? There's no coincidence in that one :roll:

[Bob38S]

What a load of horse manure!

What next - spaces for white cars as they don't get as hot as dark cars so the AC works more efficiently?

- spaces for 1,2,3,4,5,6,8 cylinder vehicles????

This one scores an 11 on my BS meter.

[RETIRED]

I think you will find that they have charge points fitted in those spots.

[mattocks]

I didn't think hybrids needed charging.

[woodbe]

The local shops have been adding building faster than car parks, so there is always congestion down there. They added some oversize spaces and marked them "4WD/Minivan only"

On a particularly busy day, I parked my Golf in one of those parks under the glare of a snarly mum in her monster toorak tractor. As I walked past, she protested loudly through her open window that I had taken 'her' park, but was somewhat deflated when I replied: "that car has 4WD" (it has) haha. The teenagers in the back lost it with laughter, probably got bread and butter for tea! :D

woodbe.

[RETIRED]

I didn't think hybrids needed charging.They don't but the "new generation" battery cars will.

[damian]

The local shops have been adding building faster than car parks, so there is always congestion down there. They added some oversize spaces and marked them "4WD/Minivan only"

On a particularly busy day, I parked my Golf in one of those parks under the glare of a snarly mum in her monster toorak tractor. As I walked past, she protested loudly through her open window that I had taken 'her' park, but was somewhat deflated when I replied: "that car has 4WD" (it has) haha. The teenagers in the back lost it with laughter, probably got bread and butter for tea! :D

woodbe.

R32 ? or the new 4 cylinder one ?

Nice car the R32, the boss reckons it'd be the bees knees. When I win the lottery....

Her mum's diesel is a wonderful thing also. 6 years old and goes like the clappers.

[woodbe]

Original 2004 MkIV R32

Still a great car, not so green though. :oo:

woodbe.

[jimbur]

Ever noticed how close the words Pious and Prius are? There's no coincidence in that one :roll:
And there's me thinking it came from priapic, for exhibitionists who want to stick out.:D
cheers,
Jim

[Avery]

I wish I still had my smoky old Range Rover.

I would park it there.

It was green.

[ian]

I'm inclined to go to a Toyota or Lexus or Honda service counter, buy a "Hybrid" badge and turn my car into a hybrid

[skot]

Are they going to be fair and have Car Parks for:

"Cars that DO NOT need BANKS OF EXPENSIVE ENVIRONMENTALLY DAMAGING BATTERIES REPLACED EVERY 5 YEARS"

Green Cars are a Furphy..their Environmental Cost is just as high as "Non Green" cars when taking whole of life costs , both financially & environmentally into account. Electric Cars need coal fired power stations to recharge them if you do it at night after you get home from work.

I purchased a Peugeot Van 2 years ago with a 1.6lt Turbo Deisel. The pollution control is fantastic and I have driven from Brisbane to Sydney, fully laden, on 1 tank of fuel. I only fill up about once a month...the fuel economy is great.

[Avery]

Are they going to be fair and have Car Parks for:

"Cars that DO NOT need BANKS OF EXPENSIVE ENVIRONMENTALLY DAMAGING BATTERIES REPLACED EVERY 5 YEARS"

Green Cars are a Furphy..their Environmental Cost is just as high as "Non Green" cars when taking whole of life costs , both financially & environmentally into account. Electric Cars need coal fired power stations to recharge them if you do it at night after you get home from work.

I purchased a Peugeot Van 2 years ago with a 1.6lt Turbo Deisel. The pollution control is fantastic and I have driven fom Brisbane to Sydney, fully laden, on 1 tank of fuel. I only fill up about once a month...the fuel economy is great.


If we changed all of the vehicle fleet in this country to rechargeable electric vehicles, we would need to build a bunch more power stations to fuel them. If these were coal fired beasts such as we have now, the level of pollution would go up very dramatically.

Your trip from Brisbane to Sydney in a rechargeable electric vehicle would probably have taken about 5 or 6 days, cost 3 times as much and produced much more pollution

[damian]

Original 2004 MkIV R32

Still a great car, not so green though. :oo:

woodbe.

So jealous, so very very jealous.

I think the thing about the prious batteries requiring replacment every 5 years is an urban myth. I suppose it's possible in some circumstances but I know of people who own them and 8 years in no new batteries.

That doesn't change the fact that they use as much fuel as a normal car, cost twice as much to buy, require much pollution in manufacture and disposal AND ARE ONE OF THE MOST AWFUL CARS I'VE EVER DRIVEN.

Seriously, I'd rather drive the herald coupe I had when I was a kid than a prious. I'd rather be broken down at the side of the road in my old MGB or X1/9 than drive a prious. I'd rather crash my LC torana than drive a prious...I'd ra...well you get the picture.

[woodbe]

I'm not quite so bent about the Prius as you. I see them as a necessary step in the development of EV manufacturing and acceptance. That said, I wouldn't buy one in a fit. Reason being, I cannot see the benefit of replacing an internal combustion engine vehicle with a vehicle running both an IC engine and EV hardware. Best and worst of both worlds in the one car - madness.

People get defensive about their chosen IC cars, and quote things like how many days it would take to do a road trip that can be done in a day with a normal car. Reality is that most of us use our cars in ways that an electric vehicle would be ideal for: a couple of short trips a day.

In the IC vs EV green discussion, you're either burning coal or burning oil to run a car. Doubt that there is an awful big difference in efficiency or emissions between them. Invest in a solar array to offset the EV power and you're in a pretty good space. On top of that EV servicing amounts to tyres, brakes and suspension. I was chatting to the Nissan EV product manager a while ago, and he said their research showed long term running costs way below half that of a comparable petrol vehicle.

I think, when they come and the realities become apparent, there will be a queue. The big question is will our run-down power infrastructure be able to cope?

woodbe

[damian]

The main issues I have with the prious:

1. It didn't have to be such an awful car. The pius greenie stuff has nothing to do with the seats, ergonomics, wasted space, nil rearward visibility, dangerous brakes etc etc. It's just a pig awful car. Drive one, you'll see real quick.

2. It didn't even save any fuel.

You can build a low tech electric car for not that much money. Get an old commuter car with a dud engine, stick in an electric motor and a bunch of lead acid batteries. Most people only drive 30 - 50 kms to and from work in slow traffic, plug it in the wall at night and roberts your fathers brother. Meanwhile keep a proper car for the weekend. I think there was a mob in victoria or somewhere doing something similar a while back. The trouble with the nissan and the other one (mitsubishi ?) is they are poisonously expensive. Your paying for the Lion batteries, and that it's a brand new car...

OR:

Build a steam car that runs on timber, perfect CO2 circle :)

Clever thing them trees...

[woodbe]

The trouble with the nissan and the other one (mitsubishi ?) is they are poisonously expensive. Your paying for the Lion batteries, and that it's a brand new car...


The Nissan isn't released here yet. I think they said next year 2013.. will be dearer than the Prius, but a lot more car also. The Mitsubishi iMIEV, I agree with you - they're tiny city cars for $50k that sell for way less than that elsewhere. (US is $27k, Canada $32k) Like most markets, EV pricing will settle down when there is competition.

New cars and new tech is expensive. Yep, noticed that. :)

woodbe.

[Bushmiller]

The local shops have been adding building faster than car parks, so there is always congestion down there. They added some oversize spaces and marked them "4WD/Minivan only"

On a particularly busy day, I parked my Golf in one of those parks under the glare of a snarly mum in her monster toorak tractor. As I walked past, she protested loudly through her open window that I had taken 'her' park, but was somewhat deflated when I replied: "that car has 4WD" (it has) haha. The teenagers in the back lost it with laughter, probably got bread and butter for tea! :D

woodbe.

:D:D

The supermarkets around here don't stretch to such a level of sophistication, if you can call it that, and I have never owned a road going 4WD, but I might consider it just so I could do that!

Regards
Paul

[jimbur]

I think one of the early hybrids had heating problems. If you weren't running the petrol engine you had no heating which wasn't too good in the uk in winter.
Cheers,
Jim

[kraits]

[ quote=damian;1382878]
Build a steam car that runs on timber, perfect CO2 circle :)

Clever thing them trees...[/quote]




build a car that runs on a uranium fuel rod.:2tsup:

[Bob38S]

I see Chermside shopping centre in Brisbane is going to "solve" its parking problems by charging to park - apparently some small time period for free then you pay - word is it could start as soon as the end of this month.

[ian]

I see Chermside shopping centre in Brisbane is going to "solve" its parking problems by charging to park - apparently some small time period for free then you pay - word is it could start as soon as the end of this month.Here in Sydney the "standard" for shopping centres is 3 hours for free, then you pay.

The idea is to discourage people who want to park all day while they take the bus to work

[Avery]

The idea is to discourage people who want to park all day while they take the bus to work

Which would , of course, be the environmentally friendly thing to do.

Thereby proving, beyond any shadow of doubt, that shopping centres are not about being friendly to the environment , as their "GREEN PARKING SPACES" may have suggested, but they are about getting as many people as possible through the door to maximise profit whilst paying some lip service to populist causes that may help to MAXIMISE PROFIT.

Not that I have a problem with any of that.

It is just the dishonesty...

[Sturdee]

Thereby proving, beyond any shadow of doubt, that shopping centres are not about being friendly to the environment , as their "GREEN PARKING SPACES" may have suggested, but they are about getting as many people as possible through the door to maximise profit whilst paying some lip service to populist causes that may help to MAXIMISE PROFIT.

Not that I have a problem with any of that.

It is just the dishonesty...

I can't see any dishonesty here. Shopping centres are businesses providing shop space to retailers and therefore parking for its customers. As some customers of these shops may need green type parking spaces they provide some, similar to disabled places, or spaces for shoppers with prams.

That they charge a fee for overstayers is appropriate to ensure spaces are available for the customers of these shops all day not just first thing in the morning.

I could ask you if you would make over your garden to provide free all day parking to commutes as you want shopping centres to do.

After all that would be the environmental thing to do.


Peter.

[Sebastiaan56]

The main issues I have with the prious:

1. It didn't have to be such an awful car. The pius greenie stuff has nothing to do with the seats, ergonomics, wasted space, nil rearward visibility, dangerous brakes etc etc. It's just a pig awful car. Drive one, you'll see real quick.

2. It didn't even save any fuel.

Ummm, I get 4.4L/100km. I do about 40k per year and motorway twice a day. Ive carried pallets of paper, 4 mountain bikes, etc, etc. It sits four adults better and has more boot space than my wife's Forester. It is quiet enough to enjoy real music. But I am biased, its my third. Its completely reliable and the battery scare stories are total b&llsh*t. There is a recycling program for the beastie once its out of its life. see Recycling the new Toyota Prius | Car Advice | Reviews (http://www.caradvice.com.au/34126/recycling-the-new-toyota-prius/)

There is a bit too much of that offensive pommy oaf Clarkson in some of the criticism about Prius's. For us high mileage urban family guys its a much better solution than the other offerings out there. It is lousy off road. Yes, Ive done over 250,000k's in Prius's, when there is a better option I'll take it.

[damian]

I am glad you like your car, but as I say my experience is based on 7 days in each back to back in NZ.

I was genuinely shocked at how awful it was to drive, and equally shocked at how good the corolla was. I've had toyotas all my life and love their strengths but comfort and a rewarding driver experience was rarely part of the package. The corolla was stunning.

The prius was bigger in the cargo area and the hidy holes were useful. The steering was adequate. That's all I can think to praise.

The slanted split rear window meant virtually no rearward visibility in rain, glare or dew on the glass. I couldn't see any of the front beyond the windscreen so parking was not as easy as it should have been (not unique to the prius). I got sore after about 1/2 hour in the car because of the odd relationship between the seats dash and roof. Instruments are scattered all over the place. The brakes scared the ^&*( out of me. Power delivery was adequate but uneven.

My partners mother has a golf diesel. I suppose it must use more than 4.4, I really don't know, but as a car it's utterly spectacular. They do mamoth miles before needing scrapping, it'll tear your head off accelerating and pull a trailer, lots of space, comfortable and a truely delightful car to drive. It simply does everything well.

The little corolla was a real shock, comfortable, rewarding, adequate power and as I say with me driving both cars the corolla required slightly less fuel per mile.

I am happy to accept your experience is different, I can only report on my own. If it's any use I get about 8.5 - 9 in the forester in mixed driving and got about 12.5 in the fairlane. The boss does 9.5 to 10 in the forester. I can't remember the figures for the NZ cars but I've got dockets at home so can probably find them and do the sum. I do about 15k a year.

[Avery]

I can't see any dishonesty here. Shopping centres are businesses providing shop space to retailers and therefore parking for its customers. As some customers of these shops may need green type parking spaces they provide some, similar to disabled places, or spaces for shoppers with prams.

That they charge a fee for overstayers is appropriate to ensure spaces are available for the customers of these shops all day not just first thing in the morning.

I could ask you if you would make over your garden to provide free all day parking to commutes as you want shopping centres to do.

After all that would be the environmental thing to do.


Peter.
Why would anyone NEED green parking spaces? Remember rechargeable cars are really not an item as yet. The centres have these green spaces purely to cater to the populist claptrap - to make people think that they care.

If you drive past my place on just about any day of the week you will see three cars in the driveway. They all belong to commuters that have taken the bus to work.

[Bushmiller]

[QUOTE=Avery;1386213
If you drive past my place on just about any day of the week you will see three cars in the driveway. They all belong to commuters that have taken the bus to work.[/QUOTE]

I think the time will come when the "park and ride" philosophy will come to Oz. Clearly your commuters are already on this theme.:)

People will be unable to enter the inner city areas by car without paying a huge price for the privelige. Look at central London.

Regards
Paul

[ian]

I think the time will come when the "park and ride" philosophy will come to Oz. Clearly your commuters are already on this theme.:)

People will be unable to enter the inner city areas by car without paying a huge price for the privelige. Look at central London.Paul

absence of Park and Ride -- one of the many myths about commuting to work in Sydney.
the 2006 Census data (data from the 2011 Census wont be available to some time next year) shows that for people who work in the Sydney CBD, nearly 70% travel by public transport -- and 6% walk !
14% of the Public Transport journeys involve Park and Ride (or Kiss and Ride), the other 86% involve walking to the station or bus stop.


anecdotally, the public transport percentage for journeys to work in Sydney CBD has been increasing over the past 5 years, and it may now (2011) be as high as 75%

[Bushmiller]

Paul

absence of Park and Ride -- one of the many myths about commuting to work in Sydney.



Ian

Specifcally I was refering to the dedicated parking lots situated on the outskirts of the cities, which also incicdentally attract a parking fee, and the scheduled bus services from these parking lots to the city centres.

Perhaps some of our cities do have these now.

Regards
Paul

[damian]

We have two problems. The first is that all the accessable commuter carparks are full by 6 am. The second is that the traffic in brisbane is worse than sydney so it can take half an hour to drive 5 kms to a carpark near a bus or train station.

I'd much prefer to drive to indooroopilly and catch the train, but I did some tests and the easiest solution along those lines is for me to drive OUT of town between 10 and 15 kms, park and take the train back in. Ridiculous. I tried living at home, driving 10 kms to Ipswich and training it from there, but there is no direct pedestrian access from the commuter carpark to the station, so you either go about 600 meters out of your way or risk getting killed crossing some dangerous roads (again I cite my knees). That option ended up 1 1/2 hours each way.

The system in Brisbane just doesn't work very well.

As I've said before though the government isn't the root of the problem. As long as you have disengaged voters, or people more interested in persecuting others than really addressing issues (you can't have a gun, 4B or whatever - get a pushbike, use the green product etc) then we aren't going to improve the situation.

I've railed a fair bit against enviromentalists/socialists here, but be aware I've railed just as vigorously against the conservative/capitalists, especially when governments around the world are tossing our tax money at failed businesses and deregulating corporate psychopaths to pillage our society and damage peoples lives. Nationalising debt is no more about stabilising the economy than enviromentalism is about helping the enviroment, it's all nasty agendas.

Green car spaces are about corporations managing public perceptions. Suck them in, take their money and spit em out...

[ian]

Paul
I can't comment much about Bri-vegas, but I occasionally get out into Sydney's commuter land during the week. Every time I do I find the commuter car parks full if not overflowing -- including the multi storey ones.