In the end it simply encourages more cars, which quickly leads to more congestion. It's a vicious cycle. This will hit us right in the pocketbook because oil prices are expected too increase in the long term and health care costs will continue to rise. Instead of calling for reduced fuel taxes, which will only reduce prices by a few cents a litre, we should be fighting for improved energy efficiency legislation, better public transit and urban growth management, and more fuel-efficient vehicles. The proliferation of these vehicles means that we get an average of 13 per cent less mileage from our new vehicle fleet than we did a decade ago.
Consumers do have some options.
My family just bought our first brand new car in 30 years. It's a gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle that more than doubles fuel efficiency and reduces some pollutants by as much as 90 per cent. But it's not just in transportation where we have to use our fossil fuels more efficiently. The Athletes' Village, for example, is a model of efficiency, designed from the ground up to incorporate natural lighting, heating and cooling. And electricity and hot water both come from solar power.