Your views: spring 2024
Our readers share their thoughts on new cars, speed limits, express lanes and more.
New car confusion
In February 2024 my wife and I visited a local car dealer to purchase her first ever new car. I specified we wanted a 2024 car (assuming this meant a car BUILT in 2024). Upon delivery, we found our MY24 car was built in December 2023. I found out about this from RACT staff when advising of the new rego and converting the cover note to full insurance. I thought MY meant Manufacture Year. According to Consumer Affairs, MY means Model Year. Apparently, many car manufacturers update their models from the end of September/early October (European cars from the end of June/early July). As a result, it’s possible, and legal, to have a MY2024 car that was built in the previous calendar year – as we found out to our cost.
Mike Shaw
Balancing safety and flow
Through Riverside on the West Tamar Highway there’s a school speed limit of 50km/h. When the reduced speed limit was first suggested to be 40km/h, there was community objection due to the considerable length of the proposed school zone. With four schools along this section of road, 50km/h was suggested as a suitable alternative. This seems to work well; in heavy traffic drivers may not even reach 50km/h.
Bob Quinn
Safety concerns at connector
We want to alert drivers to the poor signage displayed near the Kings Meadows connector on the Midlands Highway near Launceston. The signage progressively reduces the speed limit from 110km/h to 40km/h with ‘on side road’ displayed below. People are misconstruing the highway speed and rapidly slowing down, creating a dangerous situation.
Denis Kosta
Express lane exclusion
I’m perplexed why smaller, slower and less protected bicycles can use the express lane alongside buses on the Southern Outlet, but motorcycles cannot. I know this because I was pulled over by Tas Police for doing so and read the riot act. How can lane filtering be considered OK, but using a full-width express lane not? This is madness.
Jeff Miller
High mileage, high praise
Recently, I had to replace the batteries in my Prius Hybrid after 11 years and 180,000km. I was quite happy with the $3010 charge from Toyota, and their service was excellent. “You may even get a refund when we recycle the batteries – we’ll call you,” I was told. A month later the $500 refund was great news. A big thank you to Toyota for moving and motoring in the right direction.
Lester Spinaze
