Tuesday, April 15, 2014

David Cunliffe proproses banning trucks from the fast lane


It's election year in NZ, so polticians are out to score points.  Today the Labour Party leader said his party's motoring policy would do away with registrations on light trailers and caravans. Mr Cunliffe said motorhome owners have been paying too much on road user charges for their motorhomes.

As most motorhomes are owned by rental companies, it's a policy they should welcome and, if rental charges go down, the tourists who use them.

Cunliffe also said that on motorways with 3 or 4 lanes in each direction, trucks won't be able to use the fast lane and his party would "work with the industry to look at dual carriageways as well".

That one has the "gimmick" label flashing.  If trucks are hogging the fast lane at less than the speed limit, most cars just undertake them (legal in the US and NZ but not in the UK apparantly).  There are some types who don't like anyone traveling in the fast lane slower than they are, and make that very clear, but they are usually exceeding the speed limit.

We think that it's an objective that could be achieved by a simple road courtesy education campaign - "don't travel in the fast lane noticably slower than the legal limit."

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