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An official with the Department of Transportation said it will cost government close to half a million dollars to bring in new licence plates that all Island drivers will be required to purchase the next time they register their car.
“We tendered (for the supply of the licence plates), but the tender hasn’t been awarded yet,” John MacDonald, Director of Highway Safety, said. “I can’t say anything about the exact tender amount because it’s not public yet.”
There are an estimated 100,000 registered vehicles on PEI and before the new plates can be sold, Mr MacDonald said the tender will have to go to Treasury Board, the committee that advises government on spending, for final approval.
“Once you go over $250,000 they (Treasury Board) need a submission just to verify that the tender is OK,” Mr MacDonald said.
It’s the second time in a little over six years the province has changed PEI’s licence plate design.
“The last change was in 2006, with the windmills design,” Mr MacDonald said, “and prior to that it was 1997 with the Confederation Bridge plate.”
The changes are in response to an appeal from various law enforcement agencies that have been lobbying the department for a number of years to legislate more visible licence plates with better reflectivity.
“It was mainly because of the legibility,” Mr MacDonald said.
“There’s lots of plates that are alligator cracked or faded. You have to really get up close to even distinguish what they are.”
Mr MacDonald said there are still some vehicles with what they call the ‘green and white’ plates, which date back prior to 1981.
“Of course the reflectivity is completely gone on those plates,” he
said.
said.
Mr MacDonald said the reflectivity is also all but gone on the Anne of Green Gables plates from 1993, as well as most of the Confederation Bridge plates.
“After about seven years, it seems there’s more of a rapid decrease in the reflectivity,” he said.
However, Mr MacDonald could not say if the new plates offer an increased lifespan.
“I don’t think so. They’re not any more special than any other,” he said, adding that the Island’s harsh weather conditions and road salt often decrease the life of PEI plates.
Mr MacDonald said the department is reviewing the possibility of requiring licence plates be replaced on a regular basis, such as every seven years. Although no decision has been made on that yet.
“The minister does not want to see it go on as long as it has in the past,” Mr MacDonald said.
He said the department is making this most recent change because it will help to improve overall road safety.
“When you look at the old plates at night, it becomes difficult to distinguish the letters and numbers,” Mr MacDonald said.
The new plates should address the concerns of law enforcement, he said.
The licence plates are expected to be available as early as mid-September, at a cost of $5 per plate.
First appeared in The Eastern Graphic July 10, 2013
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