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Petition Tag - car
1. Parking Spaces for HOVs and Motorcycles 
Traffic and parking is a growing concern for drivers. Drivers are impeded by delays in their routine commutes and spend an uncomfortably long period of time searching for parking spaces at stores and workplaces.
The main cause is solo driving, the act of driving with no accompanying passengers. Solo drivers take up passenger seats and whole parking spaces, amenities that could easily accommodate four or more people at a time.
Also, it is unfair to motorists for one motorcycle to occupy an entire parking space when two can easily fit into one.
2. Trenode C of E School: Save our school car parking
Morval Parish Council have decided to sell Trenode Lane as it offers no enjoyment to the Parish.
Trenode School entered into an informal aggreement with the Parish Council to develop car parking space for staff and use the lane to access the school playing field.
The school would now like this agreement formalised before the lane is sold. This would safe guard car parking and ensure staff cars do not have to park on the road outside the front of the school causing congestion througout the school day.
3. Clean Energy: Wind Powered Generators on Automobiles
PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO SIGN THIS PETITION- ONE SIGNATURE CAN GO A LONG WAY!
In our day and age it is necessary to find new ways to conserve and produce energy in original and innovative ways. Alternative methods of producing energy need to be found because energy resources are being depleted rapidly due to a growing dependence upon them. Additionally, the burning of fossil fuels has done significant damage to our environment.
Although this idea has been attempted before, too much drag was created to produce an efficient amount of energy. However, this prototype reduces the amount of drag to an extent where a great amount of energy is produced for future use. Also, normally this method was used to charge the primary battery of a car, but if a secondary battery is used, the system would make a net energy gain.
Ford currently has a patent on this idea, however their model does not incorporate new drag reduction mechanisms which we have come up with. Help us by signing this petition so that in the future cars can use wind generators to produce clean energy!
4. P Platers should NOT have to display P plates on car in QLD (Queensland)
As a law abiding P plater, I have found that when P plates are displayed, many drivers (including those with Open licenses) behave in a completely unsafe and inappropriate way around P Platers on the road.
Such behaviour includes: Tailgating, engine revving, overtaking at high speeds (near misses often a result), provocative behaviours (in attempts to start an illegal street race). Drivers will also not allow P platers to merge in multi-lane situations.
Having travelled with drivers who are holders of Provisional, Probationary and Open licenses, I have found that many drivers have pre-conceived ideas (most likely stemming from various media reports) about what kind of drivers P platers are. Unfortunately a few people have created a reputation for everyone else with the same licence type.
It has become really unsafe to drive as a RECOGNISED P plater.
This is NOT a proposal to change the licensing system (or the various restrictions) in place in Queensland, but one that requests that P plates DO NOT have to be displayed whilst driving. The various restrictions would still apply, and licenses would still show each persons licensing level.
It would still be acceptable for repeat offenders to have to display P plates (especially those who are place on their Green P's after coming off a suspended license).
5. LOWER GAS PRICES: Gas Boycott Sept 1-8, 2012
Gas Boycott, do not buy gas Sept 1-8 2012.
This will lower gas prices if every one does it.
It was a success in the past and dropped gas prices .30 in one day after a 1 day protest. So a week long protest could drop gas prices by 1.50 or more.
To whom it may concern,
My name is Mike Freedman. I am a husband, and a father of two girls under the age of 7. Through a series of events, I became disabled with nerve damage in my lower back and left leg. I am consequently left unable to walk a single step or stand. The intense pain I feel every minute of every day is only mildly kept down by a host of drugs, most of which are morphine based.
Due to my disability and its nature, I have been privileged to have been loaned a car under the Uk’s Motability scheme. Thanks to this my life and thus my family’s life, has been greatly improved. I am able to get to appointments, get hospital attention when I need it, see my friends, visit my family and basically – have a life.
As it is the end of the car’s lease, it has to go back. It is normal procedure, however, that towards the end of the lease you ensure that another Motability car lease is in place to enable continuity of service. We, however were told a few months ago by Motability that although they would allow me to have another car, they would not let my wife drive it due to Motability not willing to insure her. So far, despite our best efforts, we have been unable to reinstate my wife. My wife is my main carer and driver and we so desperately need her back with a car as life without this necessity is unthinkable.
We are looking for support from the community in the hope of getting Motability and their insurers RSA to revoke their decision. We are looking to get as many signatures / emails as possible. Every single offer of support is exactly what we urgently need as the car is due to go back this Friday (27/07).
Thanking you in advance,
Mike Freedman
7. Demand for the Four Lion Rampant Flag to be the Logo on Car Licences in Wales
Baner Tywysogaeth Gwynedd oedd baner y Pedwar Llew yn wreiddiol ond yn dilyn cwymp y Dywysogaeth yn 1283, mabwysiadwyd y faner, yn wreiddiol, gan Owain Llaw Goch ac yna gan Owain Glyndŵr. Roedd y ddau yn ddisgynyddion i dywysogion Gwynedd gyda'r hawl i fabwysiadu'r faner. Newidiwyd y llewod i fod yn rhai 'rampiant' gan Owain Llaw Goch ac yna defnyddiwyd y fersiwn yna o'r faner gan Owain Glyndŵr yn ystod ei Rhyfel fawr Dros Annibyniaeth.
O dan y faner yma bu Cymru'n annibynnol o tua 1403 hyd at tua 1410 a gan mai baner Harri Tudur oedd un y ddraig goch ar gefndir gwyrdd a gwyn, wedi ei hatgyfodi yn 1958, rydym, fel gwladgarwyr, ond yn cydnabod baner y Pedwar Llew Rampiant fel gwir faner genedlaethol Cymru a gan fod cynlluniau ar y gweill gan David Cameron a Llywodraeth Lloegr i osod Jac yr Undeb ar drwyddedau gyrru ym Mhrydain, rydym yn mynnu ein hawliau dinesig i gael Pedwar Llew Rampiant Tywysog Owain Glyndŵr ar drwyddedau gyrru yng Nghymru.
The Four Lions Rampant was, originally, the Four Lions Passive flag of The Royal House of Gwynedd in Snowdonia, North Wales. Following the fall of the Royal House of Gwynedd, it was adoped by the rightful heir, the great warrior Prince, Owain Glyndŵr during his war of Independence 1400 - 1421ish and the 'passive lions' were changed into 'rampant lions' to illustrate that the Cymru (Welsh) were up in arms.
Under this flag, Cymru (Wales) was independent between 1403 - 1410ish and, as the red dragon on a green and white background was the standard of Henry Tudor King of England and was only resurrected in 1958, we as Welsh patriots only recognise the Four Lions Rampant as the true flag of Cymru and as plans are being drawn up by David Cameron to have the Union flag or Crest to appear on "British" driving licences, we demand our civil right to have the Four Lion Rampant flag of the Cymric people's Prince, Prince Owain Glyndŵr on Cymric (Welsh) driving licences.
8. Queenslanders Against Unfair Anti-Hoon Laws
Car Enthusiasts in Queensland have been treated unfairly for too long due to a small number of 'hoons' who bring down the reputation of real Car Enthusiasts.
The Car Enthusiast Community consists of huge numbers of law abiding citizens who deserve the right to be heard.
9. Boycott Shell Reduce their Gas Prices
The petroleum cartel will never be broken legally. Some have suggested we stop buying gas for a day. That's a joke for the oil companies.
The answer is to select one large company and hurt them globally by using social media around the world. The regular media will never do this.
It's up to vehicle owners.
10. Australia Needs Type D Rear-Facing Toddler Car-Seats
Research around the world has proven that sitting in a rear-facing position in the car is five times safer for children under the age of 4 than sitting in a forward-facing position. Young children have heavy heads that are large in proportion to their bodies. The bones in their neck are still soft and under-developed.
If a young child is sitting forward-facing during a frontal collision, their head is thrown violently forward on impact, putting all the force of the crash onto their delicate necks. This puts them at risk of sustaining spinal injuries.
Sitting rear-facing in the car protects young children from spinal injuries in a frontal collision. The back of the car-seat cradles their head, neck and back. The back of the seat takes up the force of the collision, NOT the child’s neck. Their head is cushioned by the back of the seat and not thrown forward.
Australia has the highest standards of crash-testing child-restraints in the world, HOWEVER we have the earliest age of forward-facing our babies in the developed world at just 6 months of age. In the U.S. experts recommend babies remain rear-facing until age 2. In Sweden, children are kept rear-facing until age 4. Seats that can accommodate larger children rear-facing are readily available overseas.
The Australian Road Rules and the Australian Child Restraint Standards both allow for children to remain rear-facing until the age of 4. However, Australian child restraint manufacturers are not making these seats available in Australia because they feel there is no market for them in Australia.
Australian children deserve the same level of protection as their overseas cousins. Our children deserve the best possible protection in a crash. Let’s build upon our high safety standards to keep our kids even safer than ever before.
Join us at Rear-Facing Down Under on Facebook for more information on the important safety benefits of rear-facing.
Watch our YouTube video and subscribe to our Channel:
11. Establish a limited use vehicle registration scheme
In NSW Australia many people own vehicles which are very seldom used yet there is no system for reduced registration costs.
The majority of the rego cost is insurance which is related to Risk which is obviously reduced when usage is limited so there should be some allowance for this.
Please see extended explanation HERE.
12. SAY NO TO BICESTER CAR PARKING CHARGES
Bicester Town is struggling and more and more local independent shops are closing due to lack of custom - why is this? One of the main reasons being the cost of parking in Bicester.
With Cherwell now charging for evening and bank holidays and a cost of 60p for 1/2 an hour or £1.10 for one hour people are opting to travel further afield to Towns/Cities which have a much wider range of shops and facilities. At a time when Bicester needs its local community to support it they are being pushed away by this.
Unless something is done now by the time the 'promised town redevelopment' arrives there will be little of Bicester left.
Please sign the petition and make the Council aware we are not prepared to just sit down and take this.
13. Encourage & Maximize the use of Bicycles in South Australia
We should encourage and maximize the use of bicycles as a means of transport in South Australia.
- Wider bike lanes on major roads.
- Tougher laws for careless drivers.
- An "Own Choice" helmet law for over 21's.
- An increase of bike trails and tracks in outer suburbs further linking busier areas.
Not only would this decrease the State's carbon emissions, but it would also increase health within population, boost tourism, create cultural awareness and studies also show riding a bike is beneficial to mental health.
14. Change Mandatory Car Insurance Law
Several Canadian provinces (British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec) provide a public auto insurance system while in the rest of the country insurance is provided privately.
Basic auto insurance is mandatory throughout Canada with each province's government determining which benefits are included as minimum required auto insurance coverage and which benefits are options available for those seeking additional coverage. Accident benefits coverage is mandatory everywhere except for Newfoundland and Labrador.
All provinces in Canada have some form of no-fault insurance available to accident victims. The difference from province to province is the extent to which tort or no-fault is emphasized. Typically, coverage against loss of or damage to the driver's own vehicle is optional.
15. Stop the annual vehicle insurance racket
ALL VEHICLE INSURERS RIP US OFF WITH 'EXIT' COSTS ON A FIXED TERM INSURANCE PRODUCT. Why, when I sign a 12 month contract with a car insurer are they allowed to charge me up to £40.00 to 'end' the same 12 month contract? In other words if I shop around and can get a better deal, I am penalised 'for administrative costs' - UNLESS I RENEW WITH SAME COMPANY. This must be restrictive trade!
If I rent a property for 12 months, I am NOT charged another 'months' rent at the end of 12 months. If I hire a car for 2 weeks, they don't charge me additional fees if I then rent from another supplier, a different car, for 2 weeks.
This penalty is surely wrong? I sign for 12 months - pay my premium and I should be free to shop around at term end without added penalty. It's a fixed term contract!
16. Improve Hackney’s Controlled Parking Zone policies
Introduction:
We, the undersigned, petition Hackney Council to change Controlled Parking Zones policies throughout Hackney to benefit local business and residents.
17. Bring back the Think! hedgehogs!!!
Theses lovely adverts taught me how to cross the road. the ones they show now are just going to traumatise children.
The old think! adverts featured hedgehogs singing about how to cross the road and due to their catchy jingles, were easy to remember. The current adverts tend to be depressing or just never shown.
Think! Should really use their namesake and bring the singing hedgehogs back.
18. Don't Encrypt The OPP System
There have been many times when the O.P.P has called for tow trucks to assist in situations where there is danger to the public due to a traffic hazard, whether it be broken down vehicle or an accident.
During those times, the Tow Truck Drivers are depended upon to remove any vehicles off the road to a safe location so the safety of the public is the first to be taken into consideration.
To get the drivers that drink and drive off the road before any casualties are caused, these individuals (Tow Truck Drivers) dedicate themselves to help the police find the impaired drivers and make our highways safe for the rest of the public.
19. Revoke emissions laws in California
I believe that California should revoke the emissions laws because there not doing anything anyway. All there doing is costing car companies more and more money to comply with the laws. For example my car which is a 2005 Honda Civic puts out 65(ppm) of carbon which is the maximum for my car but, my friend has a 2004 Saturn Ion and his emission readings are higher than mine.
Cars, trucks, and SUVs have different readings plus older cars don't have to be smoged so what's the point of even having them if att readings are different?
20. Ban the use of cell phones while operating a vehicle
Many groups have done research on the subject like The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society which determined that, “Cell phone distraction causes 2,600 deaths and 330,000 injuries in the United States every year.”
In addition, in a 2007 survey done by Nationwide Mutual Insurance they recorded that, “73 percent of drivers talk on cell phones while driving.” That poses a real danger to everyone on the roads given the previous statistics.
21. Raise Insurance Bond for Brokers!
Dear Car Carriers,
As you all well know, every broker must have a $10,000 brokers bond. On numerous occasions, we the carriers, have been cheated and not been paid for the services that we provided.. the broker bond is the only hope we have of getting paid for our services because collection agencies prove to be ineffective. Any carrier that has been a victim of this understand as to why the bond should be increased to $100,000 for the carriers financial safety.
Please submit a company representatives full name and IN THE COMMENTS PLEASE PROVIDE THE NAME OF YOUR COMPANY AND YOUR MC NUMBER. This will be sent to the Department of Transportation so it is crucial that the singers be professional about the matter.
22. Demand that the Toronto Transit Commission increase security at their subway parking lots!
While no official figures exist, many of the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) subway station parking lots used by commuters are unsafe and cars parked there during the day are often broken into, vandalized, or stolen. According to TTC personnel, off the record, a car is stolen from Finch station every day and 2 per week on average from Kipling.
On August 27th, 2008 the TTC approved a recommendation to discontinue the policy of allowing Metropass holders to park for free at TTC commuter parking lots. According to the TTC, the 14,000 parking spaces generate $2.7 million per year. However, with an operating budget of $6.3 million per year, the TTC loses money on its parking lots, as 80% of all parking spaces are occupied by Metropass users. The new policy begins in the second quarter of 2009. (http://www3.ttc.ca/About_the_TTC/Commission_reports_and_information/Meetings/August_27_2008.jsp)
PLEASE JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN GETTING INVOLVED! PLEASE FORWARD THIS PETITION SO THAT WE MAY GET AS MANY SIGNATURES AS POSSIBLE. ONCE COMPLETED, THIS PETITION WILL BE SENT TO THE TTC AS WELL AS THE MUNICIPAL AND PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT.
Examples:
http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/308774
http://thatsroger.wordpress.com/2008/05/12/the-tale-of-when-my-car-got-stolen-at-ttcs-finch-parking-lot/
http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=339576
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2007/10/19/stolen-converters.html?ref=rss
23. Drag Strip for Windsor, Ontario
You can visit any city in the world and you will always happen across a group of car enthusiasts. Different people enjoy their cars for different reasons. Some modify for looks while others modify for speed.
In Windsor alone, there are hundreds, maybe thousands, of car enthusiasts that love to race. We are forced to travel anywhere for two to five hours just to reach a drag strip (including having to cross the border).
We are in desperate need for our own drag strip.
Nobody is certain about Radioshack's Xmods micro radio controlled cars.
We want Radioshack to continue them for us and any new hobbyists.
25. Minnesota Family Opens There Home To 3 Children/ABC Extreme Make Over HOme Edition
8/23 Heidi had her checkup on Monday and Tuesday at the may clinic and they scheduled her for surgery wed of this week her cancer is back.
8/13 Erik and Heidi are in the process of adding 3 more children to the family. The lord has nocked on there door and they have opened there home to 3 kids of the family to give them a safe home while there parents health gets better.
8?2/2007 Our thoughts and many many prayers go out to families of 35 W Minnesota Bridge. We are praying for everyone of those people and family and friends and also the rescue workers hard at work.
7/28 Martin has been in the Hospital now for about 4 days at the U of M he has been vomiting and severe headaches. Erik,Heidi, Kelly and Kattie where for the day today and they did a spinal tap today which was finally successful as they tried twice yesterday and he was tuck over 15 times and it was unsuccessful. They are checking the fluid to see what is causing his headaches, they will also be doing an MRI tomorrow on him. He refuses to eat as he is so sick. Pray for him. His spirits are good. He seemed to really enjoy seeing Erik today. We will keep you updated. Heidi is also scheduled to head back to Mayo again in a couple of weeks for more test. We are all praying for her .
7/6 Heidi called me today and she went to the local dr for pain in her leg and they exrayed it and found a quarter size spot behind her leg. Her local doctor has contacted her dr. at the Mayo clinic. They are reviewing her exray from Monticello and she will her from Mayo sometime this week on what is going to happen next. Please pray for them. God bless
7/2 update on Heidi, she has been to the Mayo clinic that past couple of days and she found out that she has two new spots on her leg , same spot as the original site of the cancer. She will be doctoring with mayo. Will update with more info. soon.
---------------
Just a quick update, we found out yesterday that my husband Martin will have to go in for a biopsy on Monday at the U of M . They think something may be wrong. Please pray for him and that things work out ok.
Before reading this story please click on the link above and view the WCCO channel 4 story done on Noraas and Gorman for Valentines Day 2006.
http://www.monticellotimes.com/articles/2007/04/11/news/11extreme4127.txt
My name is Bridget Gorman and our family has nominated the Noraas family originally from Faribault, MN, for ABC's Extreme Makeover Home Edition.
Erik and Heidi Noraas live in Big Lake, MN, and have 3 children, ages 15, 10 & 5. When their youngest son was 10 days old he was diagnosed with meningitis, which left him mentally disabled and requiring a lot of extra needs and help.
2 years later after this devastating news, Erik Noraas was shipped overseas to Bosnia.
Almost simultaneously Heidi was diagnosed with cancer. She will return to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, this week for two days for tests.
Erik has returned and retired after 20 years in the Minnesota Army National Guard in September of 2005. Two weeks later Heidi read a story about Martin Gorman and his need for a kidney transplant. She called her husband and told him of the story.
Donating a kidney had always been something Eric had wanted to do. The Noraas family contacted Martin Gorman about his need for a transplant. The men met and spoke and questioned each other's concerns. And decided to move forward to see if it was medically possible.
From that point Erik went through many tests at the U of MN to see if he would be a compatible match for Martin. Surprised all signs appeared to be good and they could move ahead with the procedure. This was a huge relief to Martin and me as he had been on dialysis for 7 years.
One year ago on February 15th, 2006, Erik Noraas donated one of his kidneys to my husband. It has been a year and both Erik and my husband, Martin, are doing very well.
The Noraas home is desperately in need of an Extreme Makeover. They have no room in the 1100 sq ft home for their family and son's additional help. They enjoy and welcome all friends and family in their home. In the past they have helped many people in times of need with a place to stay.There home is in need of some repairs,rotting windows and doors, unfinished rooms and floors the house also has a huge moisture problem. This may explain why the Noraas family has such trouble with sickness in the home.
Again, their son who is in ongoing speech and occupational therapy desperately needs more space so that they may improve his therapy at a more reasonable pace. Which Extreme Home Editions would be able to provide for him at home.
The Noraas also have friends who are in wheel chairs and enjoy bringing them out to their home. Unfortunately, making it very difficult for their son and friends to access the house, as there are no true ramps for them to enter the home.
Both Erik and Heidi work full time jobs and manage their family life 24/7 as many do these days. Sadly though, the two older children are often pushed aside as their 5-year-old brother takes a lot of time. Where as if they had more room and help Erik and Heidi could give more attention to the others that need their affection as well.
The house is small but is also in need of repair. The windows have rotten away. As a result of that they are dealing with some health issues from the mold growing in the windows. The children are suffering from many ear and upper repertory issues and have undergone many surgeries to repair their ears after holes have been left behind after having tubes. Their daughter, age 10; will soon be having another surgery in hopes to fix the ear she is having difficulty hearing out of.
We feel that this family has been put through enough and we would like for them to have a home that will better manage their busy schedule. They are such a deserving family and obvious believers, who still answered the door to a stranger who called out for help, after all the cards they’d been dealt and their daily struggles.
THIS ENTIRE STORY WAS HEAVEN SENT AND TRULY GOD'S HAND!
26. Rowville Railway Line - Build it Now
The Rowville corridor in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia is perhaps one of the most car dependent metropolitan communities in the country.
Statistics show that most households own at least 2 cars and up to 6 is not uncommon.
When the suburb was first planned as a growth suburb in the 1950s, plans were drawn up for a railway line to which would run east-west to provide a form of mass transit.
Post-war, the Rowville corridoor has grown rapidly over the years and residents, and gained a university campus however the rail line never happened.
Successive governments have ignored the problem and eventually in the 1980s, in an effort to relieve growing traffic congestion, the reserve which was set aside for the line became Wellington Road.
Since the 1990s, the effect of rising petrol costs and a bus system on the verge of collapsed caused residents and university students to act.
The general consensus among Rowville residents and workers is that any railway line to Rowville would run east-west along or parallel to Wellington Road linking to the Pakenham (and Cranbourne) rail lines at Huntingdale to provide a form of mass transit to this growing suburb.
The stations suggested for the line are Monash University, Rowville Parkway and Stud Park. An alternative route could involve an extension of the Glen Waverley railway line by tunelling under residential areas and linking to Stud Park along the Dandenong Creek valley.
The Department of Infrastructure put the price of the railway line at $225 million, however it was later found that the actual cost was more like $100 million. Independent Local councils put feasibility costs between $400-500 million.
The government announced a suprise $2 billion freeway project called "Eastlink", a new north-south freeway between Mitcham and Frankston as a partial solution to the problem. However the government re-negged on its election promise and turned the freeway into an expensive tollway. Many argue that the Rowville railway line would decrease congestion for a fraction of this money and that Eastlink will only worsen the problem.
Following several expensive consultations and investigations, and calls from the area's local councils in 2006, the Bracks government announced that their solution to the Rowville transport crisis was the "SmartBus", an electronically timetabled bus system with priority lanes at a cost of $33 million. The trials of the system failed spectacularly. Electronic systems failed to work and traffic congestion caused the buses to run behind time and the project rollout is indefinately stalled.
It is clear that the only solution is for the government to commit to construction of the Rowville Railway line as soon as possible. The rail line would massively cut the travel time for residents, greatly reducing costs and car dependence.
27. 3 ROUNDABOUTS
REQUIRED: 3 ROUNDABOUTS ALONG THE A359 MUDFORD ROAD, JUST OUTSIDE OF YEOVIL.
1)On the junction of Stone Lane, Coombe Street Lane and Mudford Road.
2)On the junction of St.Michaels Avenue and Mudford Road.
3)On the junction of Lyde Road and Mudford Road.
If, like me, you regularly use this road, then you will know the 3 junctions that should be made into roundabouts,
Junction "1 & 2" cause long tailbacks in all directions at peak periods, and often 1 causes a knock-on effect with the other.
Junction "3" is unsafe, with vehicles entering Yeovil not realising there is a busy junction and bend there.
The os grid references for each site (displayed as x,y) are
1)355585,117650
2)355812,117743
3)356450,118035
(these can be used in any online map, such as http://www.streetmap.co.uk/)
See photos of proposal here: http://goo.gl/o9Okg
28. Change Legislation for Disqualified Drivers and Work Licences
A person can be imprisoned for a period of time and be released early due to parole but a person who is disqualified from driving a vehicle dose not have this option regardless that it may be a much less serious offense.
If a person who has lost their license or driven whilst disqualified, and has not re-offended after a period of time, they should have the option to reduce their disqualification period and/or be able to obtain a restricted work license.
People make mistakes and people change and I believe that my submission is fair and just.
29. Make electric cars available in Australia
The Australian Government has deliberately sabotaged attempts to make electric vehicles available to consumers in Australia to protect the oil industry.
While Australians suffer record high petrol prices and the effects of the effects of global warming in our worst droughts ever, our government is delaying the arrival of safe, clean, zero emission battery powered vehicles which can be charged via a standard power point.
Contrary to popular belief, viable private vehicles have been available since 2002 and are being driven by people in Europe and the United States. BEV's are capable of acceleration performance that exceeds gasoline powered vehicles and produce no noise pollution. Mass produced vehicles are safe and affordable. Yet government red tape has prevented their availability to Australians.
The Reva, a family car powered by electricity made in India has sold over 1,800 vehicles around the world since 2001. The Solar Shop in Adelaide has distribution rights and a the vehicle has a competitive retail price of $15,000 AUD, but the government will not let them sell it.
The Xebra, another battery vehicle has sold 200 vehicles in the US since 2006 but is not yet available in Australia but retails for around $13,500 AUD.
Both these vehicles are cheaper to buy than most models of commercial petrol powered vehicles and far cheaper to run than even LPG or ethanol powered cars.
These initiatives are supported in the UK with congestion tax exemptions and also in California.
Meanwhile, Australians are being made to drive vehicles which cost between four to six times as much per kilometre to operate or expensive hybrid cars which are not the ideal solution.
Our nation is the biggest greenhouse polluter in the world per capita, our government is not committed to ratifying Kyoto and transport accounts for over 15% of our total greenhouse emmisions.
Our government is making saving compulsory by superannuation, but not allowing us to save on our basic transport costs.
The Australian government argues that there is no demand for these vehicles, however until the government lets these be sold, how can they know whether there is not demand ? Instead, they continue to encourage LPG conversions and ethanol use as solutions for petrol prices and no solution for greenhouse gas reduction at the same time denying Australians a cheaper alternative.
30. Fair car parking scheme for Oldham shoppers
I represent a collection of small shop and business owners in Oldham, Lancashire who object strongly to the disintegration of a once thriving retail area of the town.
Although under a regeneration plan which will take several years to complete, there seems to be no sympathy for the small businesses and retailers in this area - many who have traded for decades - who provide vital services and a community feel to the area.
While we agree that out of town shopping areas have their place, the small specialist shop such as our walking and climbing shop are still successful but footfall is dropping substantially because of the restrictive parking policies put in place by short sighted local authorities such as Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council.
We at Mountainfeet have received many complaints about the situation from customers - sadly, several of these have categorically stated that despite liking our shop and service, they would not return because of the likelihood of receiving a £30 fine if they outstayed their ticket by even a couple of minutes.
The solution would be a fair solution where say after 10am, short term parking was free, or if a charge has to be levied, a fair system where law abiding shoppers weren't penalised the minute they go over the time limit on their ticket.
Visiting our website as detailed will provide more details and a copy of a typical disgruntled customers letter.