Fredericks' New Wheels

Illawarra Mercury

Friday May 23, 2008

By Business Editor GREG ELLIS

MILTONBROOK director Neville Fredericks practises what he preaches.

Neville recently brought a new Prius that he says gets 4.7 to 4.8 litres per 100km compared to 9.8 in his previous car and 13.5 in some four-wheel drives.

He said that meant his hybrid vehicle was only using about one third the fuel of many other vehicles on the road.

Neville is the man behind Tullimbar village, which is designed to achieve a 30 per cent reduction in total vehicle miles travelled per household.

With rising fuel prices increasing congestion and global warming, he is also promoting a 20-year vision for Australia to shift its planning for transport infrastructure and urban development.

Rather than building more freeways and tunnels, he would like to see a reduction in reliance on fossil fuels by building a high-speed rail system between population centres such as Newcastle, Gosford, Sydney, Wollongong, Nowra and Canberra and building lower-density, self-contained communities.