Roger Partridge: Taking Comfort from the 1970s

When a story recently emerged about the government getting advice on carless days under the Petroleum Demand Restraint Act, older New Zealanders will have felt a warm flush of nostalgia.

The 1979 restrictions brought coloured windscreen stickers announcing the weekday car owners had promised not to drive. Thursday proved the most popular choice. A thriving black market followed. Forty-three percent of vehicles secured exemptions.

The first person prosecuted under the original scheme was caught driving at 3.45 am – after falling asleep in his car following a party. His designated non-driving period had begun at 2 am.