RUC's for all road vehicles, this will be fun.

[rastuscat]

I have zero ideas on what the mechanism would be to charge them, that is one for the pollies and advisors to work out.

It's the same for the current RUC discussion. The collection mechanism is what's the challenge.

[nerrrd]

…"For instance, around 300 people die each year in road crashes, and thousands more are injured. This costs NZ$9-10 billion annually. To help pay, New Zealand could collect higher road-user charge rates for vehicles more likely to cause crashes, based on safety ratings."…

How many vehicles cause crashes? Short of mechanical failure, drivers cause crashes, not vehicles. How about a RUC system that rewards drivers who avoid crashing, if they can manage this level of complexity surely they could do this. If you want a risk based system, you should also include some form of no claims bonus (yes ACC should offer this also). That use of language has me questioning the level of thought he’s actually put into it.

Who’s safer, a one star driver in a five star vehicle, or a five star driver in a one star vehicle?

[pritch]

For a long time in modern era we have had screams about equality.

Well folks this is what “equality” looks like even if it is coming from a right wing govt.
First you have another layer of beauracracy and enforcement but every single person will pay the SAME amount of tax to travel, that gorgeously fair isn’t it.
You wanted equality you got it.
Best of all travel will be slightly cheaper for the poor who mostly make short journeys where fuel efficiency is lower.
The wealthy who regularly drive long distance to holiday baches or rick concerts, rugby games etc they will pay the MOST travel tax.
A LOT of people on here should be happy about that!

The wealthy don't all spend their money travelling NZ roads. They often just drive to the airport then fly to Bali or Bora Bora or wherever. Currently it does seem they are statistically unlikely to fly to the USA.

[F5 Dave]

. . .
Who’s safer, a one star driver in a five star vehicle, or a five star driver in a one star vehicle?

A fair comment. It's why Volvos were popular and feared by motorcyclists in the 90s. SUVs and Rangers have taken that mantle.

Lets continue, while i sit outside New World waiting a break in the rain.

Who is safer? Little old Aunt Betty who only drives 4km a week. Once to New World on Wednesday (where only rich people and weirdly pensioners shop) and once to church on Sunday where the good lord has guided her passage that anyone in her path has somehow managed to avoid her. Or a taxi driver constantly on the road?

Well ok it's Aunt Betty. Let's try again. A bread delivery driver?

It's not really fair. There could be 100:1 mileage difference.
And the bread driver delivery is at 5am. Barstools! I flatted next to a Dairy, woke me up every time.

Anyway, where was I?
That's right waiting for the rain so I can get some lunch at the least busy shop. Sod it I'll just run.

[pete376403]

Interesting that you have taken the chance to attack cyclists again. Kind of displays a bias of sorts.

Given that many risks for cyclists also exist for motorcyclists (e.g. SMIDSY) I'm kind of a bit disappointed at the backlash toward cyclists.

Not attacking as such, just reflecting on one form of two wheel vehicle that escapes any charges at all for use of the roads and another that is charged twice, once in the form of petrol tax that may morph into a RUC, and again with ACC that may or may not reduce (I am expecting not) with the introduction of RUCs. As you point out cyclists and motorcyclists can experience the same kind of risks, one is heavily penalised and the other gets off scott free. (just like rugby players and skiers :-) )

[BMWST?]

nice theories but again it is thoe who have less choices are the ones who are going to pay more. Lets also link The RUC to the drivers income. It seems to me that people are just dreaming up ways to extract more money out of motorists.

[pritch]

Who is safer? Little old Aunt Betty who only drives 4km a week. Once to New World on Wednesday (where only rich people and weirdly pensioners shop) and once to church on Sunday where the good lord has guided her passage that anyone in her path has somehow managed to avoid her. Or a taxi driver constantly on the road?

Forgive me I was wondering whether you were there because you were rich or a pensioner. New World had the best supermarket bakery in this town. They also have the cheapest gas. They can be forty cents per litre cheaper than Z or whatever on Thursdays. Thirty five to forty cents per litre is a big difference.

[BMWST?]

Forgive me I was wondering whether you were there because you were rich or a pensioner. New World had the best supermarket bakery in this town. They also have the cheapest gas. They can be forty cents per litre cheaper than Z or whatever on Thursdays. Thirty five to forty cents per litre is a big difference.

they(New World) also seem to pick the best locations

[jellywrestler]

they(New World) also seem to pick the best locations

do they all have a calendar girls right next door or something?

[F5 Dave]

They have great filled croissants and better sushi than many others. They are my secret pick if you really need something on Christmas eve because they are too expensive to have people queuing.

Plus all those pensioner babes recently widowed

[jellywrestler]

They have great filled croissants and better sushi than many others. They are my secret pick if you really need something on Christmas eve because they are too expensive to have people queuing.

Plus all those pensioner babes recently widowed

be very careful, they take their bras off and it pulls the wrinkles out of their faces and you can't tell how old they are

[BMWST?]

do they all have a calendar girls right next door or something?

no sir. Say in Wellington they hve the city pretty well covred with the Store on the corner of Wakefield street and the other one in Thorndon.I dont shop there we are quite close to a Countdown

[rastuscat]

No mention of bikes, but it discusses RUC quite well.

[pritch]

Interesting. Lot of fish hooks in there. Every one an opportunity for politicians to cock it up.

[neels]

There seems to be a focus in that video on the fact that people with more fuel efficient cars will end up paying more, and that it's somehow unfair.

If you're driving your car on the road, it's causing some degree of degradation of that road regardless of how much fuel it's using to do that, so it doesn't seem unreasonable that the contribution to roading costs is based on how far you drive not how much fuel you use while doing so.

The argument that it reduces the incentive to drive more efficient cars doesn't really stack up, given that fuel levy (+GST) is around 1/3 of the cost of petrol, the other 2/3 of the cost is reason enough to drive something more efficient if you want to pay less to get from A to B.

There seem to be a lot of suggestions for other add-ons to RUC charging which has the potential to open a lot of doors for other charges and potential for spectacular cockups in the implementation, the current system seems to work pretty well for diesels and EVs, the simple answer would seem to be to just do that. If your RUCs aren't up to date you don't get a WOF, sure there will be some people who will try to fiddle the system or already don't care if their vehicle is legal, but the majority will just take the easiest route of paying what they're supposed to and the government will get the money they want.