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Vehicle Numbers
The number of new cars registered in Christchurch has increased steadily since May 1993 when annual registrations fell to a low of 12,579. For the year ended August 1996 annual registrations had risen to 20,109 , an increase of 60 percent in a little more than 3 years. This steady increase reflects the declining cost of private vehicles, the improved economic performance of the local economy, and the higher employment and population growth recorded in recent years (Figure 3.20).
Source: Land Transport Safety Authority
New commercial vehicle registrations have been extremely stable throughout the first half of this decade. Approximately 3000 new commercial vehicles have been registered annually with little sign that numbers have been effected by the ebb and flow of the business cycle.
Use by Christchurch residents of the scheduled bus system is low. In 1994 only 23 boardings/person per year were recorded for each resident in the urban area. On a typical weekday, about 3 percent of all trips made by residents are made by bus. Only 10 percent of residents (over 15 years) are regular users and half the population never use the bus system.
For the year ended June 1996 the bus system catered for 8.1 million passengers. Patronage has recently begun to increase after a long period of decline (Figure 3.21).
Source: Canterbury Regional Council
It is unclear whether this growth represents a change in the preferences of residents between forms of transport, or is the result of an overall increase in the level of travel within the City. It is possible the underlying trend in bus patronage may still be negative and the recent increase simply represents cyclical growth due to a recovery in employment and the expansion of social/leisure opportunities in the central city.