etruck.com.au

The latest position paper from the National Transport Commission seems
to have stirred up some ill feeling and looks about to stir up another
road versus rail debate. Do we really need to go through another rail
can do this while road transport can do this type of discussion?

Those days should have disappeared into the dim and distant past a
long time ago. We do not need to discuss whether rail pays its way or
road pays its way what we need to do is get the job done. Where we
need to be careful is who we choose to decide on the spending
priorities on infrastructure.

The problem for the road transport industry is the traditional strength of the rail lobby. They have history of being listened to by the media and politicians. The rail industry has just few companies involved who are willing to work together for the best interests of rail. Rail’s public image is good, are regarded as a safe and environmentally clean industry.
The NTC is supposed to be impartial on this issue and can fairly claim they are being even-handed, and they are, by the letter of the rules but not their spirit. The road transport industry needs to get it’s act together but it is nowhere near as slick as the rail industry and unable to show anything like a united front.
Are the guys at the NTC really playing with a straight bat? All we ask is for them to take a rational holistic viewpoint and make allowances for differences between the ability of the two sectors to produce spin.