Vehicles forced to carry a tracking device

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Vehicles forced to carry a tracking device
Ari Sharp
August 14, 2009

AN INNOVATIVE way to unclog our roads or a Big Brother plan to keep watch over motorists?

That is the debate sparked by a paper recommending vehicles be forced to carry a tracking device so they could be charged extra for driving on main roads and during peak hour.

The proposal to introduce so-called telematic technology was one of the policy ideas to combat congestion, recommended by La Trobe University academics, Harry Clarke and David Prentice, in a paper commissioned by the Treasury review into taxation.

The devices - similar to those used in truck fleets - would feed information to a database that would then levy charges, which would vary according to vehicle type, the road being used and the time of day.

Dr Prentice said that by charging more for busier roads and during peak hours, motorists would change their travel habits and ease congestion, which is projected to cost $20.4 billion by 2020 unless action is taken.

''By having these user charges, we'll get a better idea about what roads are being used a lot, how much people value them, what kind of day do people value them, that sort of thing,'' he said.

Dr Prentice said the data gathered by the devices could be used to help in planning roads, which the paper finds is often motivated by politics and engineering factors rather than driver demand.

The Henry review is due to report at the end of the year.

But the National Party leader, Warren Truss, said: "The idea of every vehicle in Australia carrying a government-monitored tracking device to track when and where they are travelling causes very deep concern. Kevin Rudd as Big Brother is a frightening thought.''

The paper signals a possible 10-cent rise in petrol excise, which is now 38 cents a litre. Dr Prentice said it would be an alternative to the use charge.

The Australian Automobile Association said it had long advocated a user-pays approach to roads.

I looked for Harold Scruby's name, but its not here. So we have more clowns to stuff up our driving !!