As frequently happens, something catches my eye that warrants comment. The past couple of months have been no exception.

In late June, it was revealed in New Zealand Autocar magazine that NZTA had spent $5.2 million over two years developing an app designed to hold driver licence details, which could be used as a form of identification. But it cannot be used now without a law change, and that’s not likely soon. Apparently, the app was developed in the hope that it would be usable with a digital driver licence, which is currently under investigation by the Ministry of Transport. Work to create a robust digital driver licence is underway overseas but this has run into some opposition, especially surrounding personal privacy, so why did the agency consider it necessary to go ahead and develop the app that currently has no use?

In a report entitled ‘Driving Change’, compiled by The New Zealand Initiative’s Dr Mathew Birchall, smart road-user charges (smart RUC) are discussed as a replacement system for fuel excise tax. Smart RUC considers two options, automated pay-as-you-drive or pre-purchase similar to what we have now. Personally, I like the idea of pay-as- you-go. That way, if your vehicle is not in use, your money isn’t tied up in RUC, especially so in the current economic climate. One of the downsides of this arrangement, though, would be the effect on the cash flow going into the government’s coffers. A smart system could also be linked to the weight of the vehicle(s) at the time rather than the current crude calculation method now.

I am sure that some of the electronic road-user charges systems around now would have the ability to provide a pay-as-you-go function without too much bother. Compliance may be an issue but the weigh-in-motion sites NZTA is currently rolling out should be able to monitor this.

Also in June, it was good to see the Minister of Transport putting notice on NZTA about the proliferation of road cones. Nobody wants to expose road workers to hazards from vehicles, but I defy anybody to argue that the placement of road cones isn’t entirely out of hand. So let us hope the minister’s comments result in some real action. (But, then, if you are supplying these cones or their placement and retrieval, the last thing you would want to see is a reduction in their use.)

Something in the daily ATN bulletin (Australasian Transport News) caught my eye recently. Like most of the world, journalists there are voicing concern about the critical shortage of truck drivers in Australia and cite a need for 26,000 drivers to fill the shortfall. To put this into perspective, the shortfall quoted is about the entire truck-driving workforce in this country, so there is little chance of us finding an immediate solution to our problem.

One of the industry associations recently sent out a reminder that it is possible to extend CoF inspection frequency. This has been possible for some time and was one of the benefits cited that could arise from ORS – remember ORS and its associated star ratings, the system that was billed as a game-changer regarding heavy-vehicle safety? Whatever happened to that? Gone the way of the Dodo bird I suspect.

With winter theoretically behind us, we should all be looking forward to longer days and a lot warmer temperatures. Let us hope that the end of winter and better weather will also signal an improving economy, one that benefits us all.