Guernsey Press

'Fuel cost has little impact on car use' - Environment minister

ENVIRONMENT'S transport strategy needed to focus on other measures to reduce car use because changes in fuel prices have little impact, the minister has said.

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Deputy Yvonne Burford's comments were made as UK supermarkets slashed their petrol prices as the cost of Brent crude fell to $59 a barrel earlier this week for the first time since 2009.

A drop in prices is expected to be reflected locally and the Guernsey Motor Trades Association said the price of unleaded petrol had fallen over 9.5p per litre in the last two months to the lowest it has been for three years.

But Deputy Burford stressed the importance of why her department needed to put forward alternatives.

'The transport strategy did not propose any increase in fuel excise duty as it has been shown that fuel price is fairly inelastic; people do not tend to change the number of miles they drive to any significant degree with changing fuel prices, especially when changes are relatively small in percentage terms.

'Similarly, fuel consumption is not one of the main considerations for most people when choosing which car to buy,' she said.

'That is why the strategy focuses on other measures – both incentives and disincentives – to encourage people to switch some of their journeys where possible away from the private motor vehicle and to choose smaller, cleaner cars.'

Other measures include paid parking as well as the controversial car width and emissions charges.

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