Fuel excise

Willem,

I agree with you.

Running a duel fuel 80 series with crappy fuel efficiency currently.....I suppose I will have to upgrade by 2005. Seeing as LPG is currently the most ecofriendly fuel being used by the masses, you would think that any Govt and the pathetic Greens Party would promote users of LPG. I am sure Ford are impressed with the decision also having started rolling out LPG only vehicles. Taxi fares will rise, bus fares will rise all due to the excise shift.

With the amount of natural gas wasted on oil refineries as they burn it off to reach the oil, we are reducing the chances of utilising the cleanest fossil fuel the world has. It is no wonder my daughter is worried about the state of the world her children will be living in. Just Do It!

Willem Willem Willem ...

I'm suprised they dont do it INSTANTLY! Think of the greedy fat arsed pig Politician in Canberra missing out on all that revenue?? Dont you smell his drool?? He has a 70% Tax payer funded super to fund, and by 20?? they will have a 100% Tax payer funded one. Not to mention the yearly $300k upgrade of their offices EACH. Scum they are.

And I agree, why should LPG and BioDiesel not pay an excise! (If I have to with Diesel!!! so do you)

Heres another one HIDDEN IN THE TAR SPEED CAMERAS!.. This one wil break the all time records for revenue.. The story says the Gov has refused the trials, but thats crap. Word is they are TOTALLY PIST that the story was leaked.


Speed traps hit the road
By SHELLEY HODGSON
11may03

REVOLUTIONARY speed cameras which are hidden in the road's surface are being developed for a world-first trial in Victoria.

The developers had planned to begin testing the speed cameras within weeks, but Police Minister Andre Haermeyer has rejected the idea.
Tenix Solutions - which is developing the system with transport systems company Astucia - holds the contract to operate the state's speed cameras and, as part of the contract, can test new technology.

But a State Government spokesman said Tenix would not be given permission.

"Minister Haermeyer has ruled out ever using this device," the spokesman said.









It is understood the Black Spur, Great Ocean Rd and The Boulevard in Kew were among locations earmarked for trials.

The cylinder-shaped speed camera is placed into the road's surface and is topped with a super-tough lens which sits only 4mm above the ground.

It would work in conjunction with an infra-red stud, which provides illumination for the camera without flashing in motorists' eyes, and a detection stud, which would calculate speed.

The cameras are part of a safety package that features state-of-the-art road marking studs. These include delineation studs with solar-charged light emitting diodes that can illuminate the road more than 900m ahead of a car.

There are also two types of warning studs - one which senses rain, sea mist or fog and lights up red or amber LEDs, and another which can detect a temperature drop below three degrees and emits a blue light to warn of black ice.

The studs are already being tested in Victoria.

Another stud, containing a camera, is designed for road surveillance and has been tested in Holland and Scotland. Astucia is modifying the stud in the UK and expects to return it to Australia this month so Tenix can finish the development.

Astucia general manager Ken Jack said the speed cameras were indistinguishable from the studs marking the road and could be set in the centre of the road or on the edge.

And he said motorists would not be able to spot the speed cameras.

"As you are driving, you can't see them on the road," Mr Jack said, adding that they would be most useful in areas where it was impractical to put up a gantry, and on country roads.

Tenix corporate affairs manager Liam Bathgate said the company wanted to begin trials within weeks, subject to approval. He said there had been discussions with VicRoads and other government authorities.

"We will need co-operation with VicRoads. There's obviously still some talking to be done," Mr Bathgate said. "We can't do a trial on a public road without their approval."

The speed camera had the potential to catch speeding motorists travelling in both directions and could send the information straight to a processing centre, rather than crews having to collect film.

VicRoads said it had no plans to test or install road stud technology which could be used for speed detection.

Mr Haermeyer's spokesman said there were other ways to reduce the road toll.

He said the Government was confident 40 new radars, committed to in the State Budget this week, and other initiatives in the Arrive Alive strategy would have an impact on the road toll. The State Budget revealed that the Government plans to raise another $101 million in fines next financial year.

Mr Bathgate said yesterday Tenix Solutions would not test the speed camera elsewhere.

"There was only ever a plan to conduct a trial in Victoria. If permission is refused, that's it."