More garages to issue warrants of fitness

Press, 18 October 1986, Page 1

More garages to issue warrants of fitness

Wellington reporter

More garages will be able to issue warrants of fitness now that the Government has abolished the monopoly held on vehicletesting in some parts of New Zealand by the Ministry of Transport and local bodies. The Minister of Transport, Mr Prebble, said the change in policy would have immediate effect.

The Ministry has a monopoly on testing in Ashburton, Blenheim, much of Christchurch, Greymouth, and many other places. Local bodies have a monopoly in Timaru, parts of Christchurch, and many other regions.

Nationally, 70 per cent of warrants of fitness are issued by private garages, 17 per cent by local bodies, and 13 per cent by the Ministry.

Mr Prebble said the Ministry could now devote its resources to setting and monitoring vehicle standards and testing

.safety standards rather than just issuing warrants.

Ministry testing stations would be maintained as long as they could provide the standard 10 per cent rate of return on investment.

Christchurch has three vehicle-testing stations: those in Lichfield Street and Cranford Street are run by the Ministry, and one at Sockburn is run jointly by the Paparua County and Waimairi District councils.

Ten staff are employed at Lichfield Street and seven at Cranford Street. The Lichfield station is owned by the Christchurch City Council and leased to the Ministry. Cranford Street formerly had a vehicle throughput of 65,000 a year and a staff of 11. Pressure in recent years from the Waimairi council led to more garages obtaining permission to do testing, and this competition led the Cranford

Street station to cut its staff to seven. It now handles 40,000 vehicles a year.

A Public Service Association delegate, Mr Dave Penney, said that station staff were angered by the lack of consultation. They were told of the new Government policy only hours before the announcement was made public. Mr Penney said that there was no way that stations would be able to compete with garages.

“It is irresponsible of the Government to do this at a time when so many are being killed on the roads,” he said.

It was common knowledge that if one failed to get a warrant at a station one went to a garage where it was easier to obtain it. Six officers whom 'the Government intended to monitor standards throughout New Zealand would be insufficient. Six would be needed in Christchurch alone, said Mr Penney.