A 4x4 Isn't A Luxury Vehicle In the North: One Man's Opinion

Wednesday, September 26, 2007 03:45 AM

I’m sure a lot of people in the north hope that someone who appeared before the Select Committee on Finance and Government Services raised the issue of how we are treated in the north when it comes to the vehicles that we operate.

The lower mainland is seeking special tax relief for those people who drive hybrid vehicles as a means of reducing pollution. It is a good move, but does little to bring attention to our situation when it comes to the central and north of the province.

We pay more for fuel, including provincial taxes, not because we want to, but rather because of the area that we live in. You cannot take a hybrid into the bush 100 kilometers away from the city, packing a tidy tank to provide fuel for your other equipment.

We are simply told to grin and bear it, The city folks who drive SUV’s do so as a status symbol , a 4x4 is not a luxury in this part of the province, it becomes a necessity with our winter conditions .

So if someone makes a submission to the Select Committee they might want to point out that in this one area alone we are second cousins to the people of the lower mainland and Vancouver Island.

Offering up some sort of incentive to those who must pay the penalty in order to earn a living would seem to be in order.

I’m Meisner and that’s one man’s opinion.

Previous Story - Next Story

Email |

Print |

Facebook |

Twitter |

Digg |

Del.icio.us

Posted on Wednesday, September 26, 2007 03:45 AM in Views by Ben Meisner

Return to Home

Comments

Posted by: owl on September 26 2007 4:38 AM

"You cannot take a hybrid into the bush 100 kilometers away from the city, packing a tidy tank to provide fuel for your other equipment."

You can't do that in the south either. It goes with the territory of being in that kind of work. It is, essentially a work vehicle whether one operates a forestry company out of North Van or Quesnel, or a ranch/farm out of Vanderhoof or Chilliwack.

I have driven in Canadian winter conditions since I got my license to drive. I never owned anything other than a sedan.

At one time I even owned one of those vehicels which the snowplow operator takes to drive from his home to the snowplow in the middle of the night.

Remember station wagons? SUV's today are the station wagons of yesterday. Whether north or south, they are vehicles which people own because they have a big family, or because they like driving big vehicles. Very few who own SUV's and even crew cabs drive them to work on remote forestry roads.

Posted by: northman on September 26 2007 7:48 AM

In all reality we arent reducing greenhouse gasses by a long shot. Its nice to think that you are helping by buying a hybrid but they dont burn any more or any less gas then a regualr coupe. Hybrids are useless when driving them long distances becasue the electric drive only kicks in when your idleing so the only benifit here is when they are used in a large urban center. Canadians are already doing an extreme amount to protect the envirionment compared to other countrys. Its about time we get some credit for what we are doing rather then geting punished for what we drive.

Posted by: peterthompson on September 26 2007 9:21 AM

I drive a five year old Civic hybrid; we get 55 mpg commuting around PG and 60 mpg on the highway. This is definitely less gas consumption that the regular Civic.

Posted by: Tudenom on September 26 2007 10:10 AM

Prince George doesn't get a lot of snow, but many places in BC do.

I owned a 4X4 truck while I lived in Kitimat because I needed it just to get out of my driveway during the winter (and I lived in town, not out in the boonies). Those without 4x4's don't go to work on days like that.

So it's not fair to say you don't need a 4x4 unless you're a rancher or a logger in BC.

Posted by: Bridge on September 26 2007 10:34 AM

The job I had took me from the Ab border to Prince Rupert to Ft Nelson and Stewert north. and all I had was a 4X2 half ton but I wore out many sets of tire Chains. The truck was a bottom end GM strait 6 that gave around 23 mp gallon.

And if you cant leave your driveway try shoveling it. I go to Super Store and the lot is filled with trucks and suv's. Are they all in from the woods buying groceries?

I know a person that owns and suv it cost a 150 bucks to fill the tank. The gas companies are laughing all the way to the bank. It costs 43 bucks to fill my Toyota.

Cheers

Posted by: diplomat on September 26 2007 2:52 PM

Our 2004 Toyota RAV4 compact SUV gets excellent mileage and is the safest thing I have ever driven in the wintertime because of the fulltime 4 wheel drive.

If it had been available with a 4cylinder diesel (which is an option in Europe!) we would have bought it.

Can't figure out why diesels aren't more widely available here when they are elsewhere.

Posted by: Palopu on September 26 2007 8:10 PM

It matters little how many miles per gallon you get for your vehicle. Are we to assume that we all drive the same??

Its within the realm of possibility that those people who get more miles to the gallon also drive more miles, and that those who get less miles to the gallon drive less miles because of the cost. Anything is possible.

The truth of the matter is, is that 60% of the fuel consumtion in North America is from leisure driving. In other words, waste. You can verify this any day of the week by either checking your own driving or see how often the same people show up at the mall every day.

People in this town use driving around as a form of recreation. You see them on the go all the time, mostly running from shopping centre to shopping centre, or just cruising. People will burn the gas until its gone, and then move on to something else; Thats the way of the world.

Posted by: diplomat on September 27 2007 9:25 AM

When the day comes when a usable, reliable, safe electric vehicle is available at a competitive price - I will be in the lineup to buy one!

Instead of filling up with gasoline, I will fill up with a 5 minute complete recharge of my onboard battery pack! Instead of plugging in a hose I'll gladly plug in an electrical cable!

Until then I shall keep driving an economical gasoline powered chariot, whenever I HAVE to drive and whenever I FEEL like driving - leisure or business, whatever!

O.K. - off to the mall!

Cheers!