A study finds Nambour is relatively well protected from the expected blows of peak oil, however other Sunshine Coast locations won’t be so lucky.

A recent study has found Nambour to be relatively protected from the pain of escalating fuel prices.

As part of his environmental planning honours studies at Griffith University, Phil Woods questioned many Nambour residents about how rising fuel prices are affecting their day-to-day lives. He found the town’s facilities and infrastructure are cushioning many of the working and retired population. Even though others are feeling a pinch in their hip pocket nerve, they are not.

“Nambour is an old established town compared to the strip development along the coast,” Mr Woods said. “It has a localised economy of its own – a major hospital, a TAFE college, some industrial businesses, retail and commercial businesses, schools and so on. Without the coast, Nambour could still function quite well on its own.”

Nambour’s localised economy means that around one third of its workers travel less than five kilometres to work. Retirees in Nambour, too, are generally not feeling the pressure at the petrol bowser because, while many own cars, the number of kilometres driven is comparatively small. These are the people whose lives will probably continue unchanged if prices rise beyond two dollars a litre.

However another third of Nambour’s workers travel to workplaces more than 30 kilometres away. Others have children with diverse recreational and sporting activities requiring relatively long and frequent trips in parents’ cars on weekends. Others rely on social networks and interests in areas away from Nambour. These people are most vulnerable to rising petrol prices.

Many are already changing their habits to minimise their petrol costs. By far the most popular response was to plan ahead and undertake several tasks during one trip. Others were cutting back on holiday trips or non-essential expenses, using the smallest family car more, and car pooling.

“I was expecting to see the trends of using more public transport and moving to scooters and motorbikes, because this is what’s happening in other areas,” said Mr Woods. “However I found that people love the convenience, comfort and freedom of their car, and they see public transport as neither reliable nor comfortable.

“While in capital cities there was a seven-fold increase in scooter sales in as many years, and a doubling of motorcycle sales in general, Nambour drivers were concerned about bikes and scooters being driven off the road by cars. In cities, people turn to scooters because of congestion and traffic jams, but we don’t have that here in Nambour.”

The results of the study raise questions about how other parts of the Sunshine Coast will fare without advantages such as Nambour’s.

“In every town in Australia, almost everyone has a car, but it’s the amount of travelling done in that car. If where you live has a localised economy, then the population as a whole is probably less vulnerable,” Mr Woods said. “So coastal towns that only have tourism and accommodation, for example, are more vulnerable than Nambour.”

By examining impacts at a household level, Mr Woods’ study builds on work undertaken by Jago Dodson and Neil Sipe of Griffith University. Their 2005 report Oil Vulnerability in Australian Cities examines the impact of rising oil prices at a neighbourhood level. It found poorer outer suburbs in Australian cities are likely to be most affected by rising petrol costs because of their dependence on motor vehicles and limited access to public transport. In contrast, wealthy inner suburbs are less vulnerable because of their higher incomes and better access to public transport.

“The reason why rising fuel costs will impact on lower socio-economic groups in the outer suburbs is twofold. First, these households are already at a greater risk of adverse impacts from any socio-economic change,” Dr Dodson said.

“Secondly, these households are more dependent on cars for travel. This dependence means residents who rely on cheap petrol to drive to work or the shops are highly vulnerable to increased fuel costs. This may be compounded by the lack of alternative modes of transport, such as public transport, walking or cycling.”

Dr Sipe said governments need to understand how rising oil prices will affect Australian suburbs and plan to limit the impacts on car dependent neighbourhoods through provision of better public transport services.

The report found Brisbane’s outer growth corridors were most vulnerable to rising petrol prices. These areas included the suburbs of Beenleigh, Caboolture and Ipswich.