Victoria’s bus industry is applauding an apparent back flip by VicRoads to reinstate mandatory roller brake testing
By David Goeldner | July 8, 2011
In what appears to be a bureaucratic back flip, BusVic Executive Director Chris Lowe confirmed at this week’s Maintenance Conference that VicRoads will immediately reinstate mandatory roller brake testing on annual bus safety inspections.
“It’s a commonsense decision,” says Lowe.
“We had traded for some months while the roller brake test became voluntary and wasn’t a mandatory part of the annual safety inspection,” he says.
After significant representation to all levels of the Victorian Government, Lowe says VicRoads made a ‘commonsense’ decision.
Roller brake testing will, again, become part of the annual roadworthy certificate.
Roller brake testing had been a mandatory part of bus safety inspections up until the end of 2010, and had been a requirement since 1994.
Lowe launched a campaign in the first half of 2011 to reinstate the test, and was notified last Friday that VicRoads had reconsidered its position.
Lowe had earlier commented that the test had been removed as part of an administrative decision, not as part of the Bus Safety Act legislation that came into force last year.