The underlying assumption here is that the real-dollar cost of owning and operating a private motor vehicle in Australia will inevitably increase with time despite the best efforts of our policy makers.
While also debatable, the timeline for the anticipated effects upon our consumer spending patterns will largely depend upon a number of external factors including the competitive demand for limited resources amongst the rapidly advancing economies of neighbouring India, China, and South East Asia.
Irrespective of our conclusions, it remains prudent of us as an emerging global city region to begin to think strategically and explore new and innovative ways of maintaining our current lifestyle well into the future and not at the continued expense of our living standards or our natural habitat.