Discrimination on four wheels

A new levy introduced by North Sydney Council is designed to keep off-road vehicles off the city roads.

An example of the abundance of the large vehicles in residential areas

Loathe them or love them, four wheel drives have managed to mount the kerb of acceptance and park themselves in the middle of the suburban landscape, becoming a common mode of transport for large families, business people and those with an adventurous edge - as well as the rural clientele they were originally imported for.

A new levy introduced by North Sydney Council is taking steps to prevent the superfluous use of off-road vehicles in the city by imposing a higher tax rate on cars which have a low fuel efficiency rating, while compact cars that are conservative with fuel have drastically reduced parking fees. Compact cars pay a mere $24 for a years parking permit while large vehicles such as Pajeros and Jeep Grand Cherokees are charged $88 a year.

North Sydney Mayor Cr Genia McCaffery claims this new policy is not about discriminating against four wheel drives, instead offering that the plan is environmentally motivated towards "reducing the negative effects that day-to-day activities have on our environment."

This has got member of the Legislative Assembly Professor Jon Jenkins up in arms, claiming, "There are a lot better things that North Sydney Council can be doing to help the environment. The idea was conceived to penalise four wheel drives, and was altered later to include pollution and green house gasses."

While the new parking rates may be targeting four wheel drive owners, Harold Scruby from the Pedestrian Council of Australia feels no sympathy for them arguing that it isn't merely an environmental issue. Large four-wheel drives "take up an inordinate amount of parking space." He says, "So why isn't it fair that councils tax them more than your standard vehicle?"

Often criticised as being redundant in the city, with their excessive size, poor visibility, deadly bull bars and thirsty tanks, four wheel drives have been on the receiving end of a lot of scrutiny, unfairly, according to Jenkins.

"There are a lot of myths about four wheel drives, they actually have better visibility than any station wagon, and there are figures which suggest that as many as 60% of four wheel drives in the city have a legitimate use, be it towing a boat or caravan or going to the country on the weekend."

Jenkins does concede, "There is a culture of people who don't need four wheel drives in the city."

North Sydney Council's initiative so far has been successful, when asked by Observer, it was reported by North Sydney Council that "there has been no opposition that we are aware of."

When asked if Ku-ring-gai Council would take similar measures to help reduce the polluting effects of four wheel drives in the area a spokesperson for the mayor explained "we don't really have issues with parking in the area, although we do support any actions taken by councils to reduce harm to the environment. Having said that, we do not feel that increasing the price of permits will actually stop people from driving four wheel drive vehicles."

Chris Anderson from Lexus at Chatswood claims that with 50 four wheel drives being sold a month to local residents the idea of taxing four wheel drives is "relatively ridiculous, at the end of the day, whatever the issue is, it's the consumer's choice."

Discriminatory taxes against particular vehicles may limit the option of driving a four-wheel drive in the city, reducing the buyer's choices when purchasing their next car.

 Those who are committed to driving a large car will no doubt persevere through the extra charges, while those who don't really need a large car may reconsider. With fourwheel drive sales on the increase, this small fee may be on the right track.