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alexk
Guest
Cabinet yesterday took a decision to give drivers a five-month moratorium on the inspection of motor vehicles, while T-vehicles will now be allowed to undergo inspection at private testing stations.
Confirmation came from Works and Transport Minister Rohan Sinanan at yesterday’s post-Cabinet media briefing. He said Cabinet had agreed that from yesterday there would be a five-month moratorium on the inspection of motor vehicles in accordance with the provisions of the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic regulations 48.50.
He said the move was taken as a result of the long lines at the country’s private testing stations to get vehicles tested. At some testing stations, Sinanan said the queue had reached as far as the highway.
“There was a mad rush to get these vehicles inspected,” he said, noting it occurred immediately after the TTPS warned motorists last month that they could be fined $5,000 for not having an inspection sticker.
A private vehicle over five years has to be inspected every two years.
Sinanan said Cabinet also took a decision to allow the T-vehicles with a maximum gross weight of 3200 kgs to be approved at 70 private inspection garages. The Licensing Division, he said, will ensure the inspection stations are equipped to undertake this activity.
He noted that of the 900,000 vehicles that traverse the roadways 132,000 are T-vehicles which have to be inspected annually.
“Unfortunately, at this time there are only two locations that inspect these vehicles. If you do the math is it virtually impossible to inspect 132,000 T- vehicles at two sites and this has been a source of concern. There are a lot of allegations of vehicles actually having inspection stickers but not being presented for inspection.”
The two locations are Port-of-Spain and San Fernando.
“So this will take us to the end of the year and from January we expect all the vehicles should be inspected and no one can say they need more time.”
Sinanan said Cabinet also decided to allow the operation of the randomisation of licensing vehicles. In the past, he said the Licensing offices gave out numbers for vehicles in a sequenced order starting from two to 99. The new randomised automated system would allow the computer to generate the numbers.
“No one will be able to manipulate the system. This system would eliminate that. It would also speed up the system of registering vehicles. So no longer we should have the complaint that vehicles are taking too long to be licensed.