HEAVY TRAFFIC FEES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21273, 29 August 1932, Page 10

HEAVY TRAFFIC FEES

BASIS OF DISTRIBUTION AMENDED REGULATIONS ' AVOIDANCE OF DISPUTES In order to avoid disputes and possibly litigation between local bodies concerned with tho collection and distribution of heavy traffic fees in tho same district, amended regulations dealing with tho allocation of licenco fees havo been gazetted. Heavy traffic licenco fees aro levied on all motor vehicles, with tho exception of private cars, of a gross weight of over two tons, and tho amount collected last year was some £190,000. Tho fees were collected by road controlling authorities, and used for road maintenance. Tho Dominion is divided into 19 heavy traffic districts for tho allocation of the fees, and tho local authorities in each district make tho allocation by varying methods. If tho controlling authorities in a hoavy traffic district failed to com» to an agreement concerning the allocation, it was provided in the original regulatious that any one authority could demand that tho question should bo referred to a magistrate, who would act as the final authority. Tho new amendment provides that when the local authorities in any heavy traffic district fail to como to an amicablo arx-angement as to the allocation of tho fees, tho Minister of Transport shall determine tho allocation on the basis of the relative maintenance expenditure, together with tho interest and sinking fund charges on paving loans. In an explanation of tho revised regulations officers of the Transport Department at Wellington stated that with the general reduction of rates at present being brought about, it was apparent that heavy traffic fees would, year by year, represent a larger proportion of the revenue of road controlling bodies. They would therefore assume a greater importance. In the circumstances, it appeared probable that a number of heavy traffic districts would be uTjablo to arrive at a mutual agreement, and, under the original regulations, they would bo involved in heavy litigation costs. As it was most desirable, when tho road bill was so burdensome, 'that these fees should bo spent on the maintenance of roads, it was necessary to devise some system to do away with litigation. Tho correct allocation of the fees should bo based on the use of the roads by tho vehicles which paid the fees, and it was therefore only necessary to ascertain some reasonable measure of use. The most correct measure would be a traffic census, but this method would be costly and would show very little saving on tlio original method. In tho circumstances, therefore, it was decided to adopt the maintenance expenditure as the basis for the allocation of the fees, and this expenditure would represent a reasonably close measure of use .by | motor traffic assuming that the damage duo to climatic conditions -was relatively [ the same in each heavy traffic district.