Winners must keep us moving

REARVIEW:IT IS A LITTLE puzzling that issues concerning motorists have not come to the fore in the general election campaign.

The closest we came to it was the discussion about the ministerial fleet, which really was a point-scoring exercise between the parties. But there are real issues of concern to anybody who uses a car regularly – in other words, most of the population.

As we go to the polls, petrol prices are knocking on the door of €1.50, an unprecedented price driven by external market forces and internally-applied taxes.

A high fuel price is acceptable when other motoring taxes aren’t such a burden as they are here – VRT and motor tax, not to mention insurance. Any future transport minister will have to re-examine the system in which motoring is taxed to make it a fairer system based on use rather than engine size or emissions.

Public transport is a hot issue too. Some parties would privatise certain bus routes, opening them up to competition. This could drive down costs and give greater choice, but would private firms service the routes that the State feels obliged to service at a loss? Any future minister must thread carefully before tinkering.

The days of grandiose projects are over and we must think carefully before proceeding with the likes of Metro North. On the face of it, it seems strange that so much money be committed to the project when the State struggles to find the resources to even repair the roads, and when there are cheaper alternatives.

The next government must resist the temptation to heap further taxes on motorists and instead must find cheaper, more efficient ways to keep the country moving in these harsh times.