Re: Road Cost Recovery.

[David Penna <djpenna@one.net.au>]

Tell wrote:

> Privatisation of our railways just might fall flat on
> its face, I don't know and neither does anybody else at
> this stage, but are you seriously suggesting that we go
> back to the old days of all government run railways.?
> 
> Road cost recovery, it slips off the tounge easily, but
> nobody yet, apart from the usual chorus of increased
> road use charges have come up with a real solution.
> You can increase charges as much as you like and all it
> will do is increase the cost of living across this
> great land,  why ......because the pollies and rail
> bosses will still make a stuff of it, they have had
> years of practise.  See, while ever the systems are
> government the rail chiefs will DO NOTHING that is
> outside the wishes of the Minister, good enough reason
> to privatise as far as I am concerned.

I agree, as long as privatisation is done properly.  None of this half
hearted crap that is an excuse for making budgets look good.  Privatise
the lot or not at all!   The trouble with privatisation is that its all
about maximising $$$$ - governments should privatise rail in such a way
that it will operate better - that's where the long term benefits to the
community will come - and not just for the short term $$$ benefits.
 
> Increased road charges alone will not make railways
> competitive, you will need far more than that, and it
> starts back with the railways themselves.
> 
> What do you suggest to keep the ever increasing number
> of trucks off our roads.

EASY! Stop them being operated by private companies and put them into 
government hands :->
Not that a government would deliberately put trucks off the roads.
They'd just run them like they run the railways.