Fourteen representatives from Solomon Islands traffic and transport management agencies have travelled to Fiji to study vehicle management systems, enforcement arrangements and road maintenance, the Australian High Commission said.
The Australian-supported delegation included representatives from the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, the Ministry of Police, National Security and Correctional Services, the Ministry of Finance and Treasury, and Honiara City Council.
The week-long study tour took in Fijian agencies responsible for vehicle licensing and inspection, traffic enforcement, road safety and road infrastructure.
The delegation met officials from the Fiji Ministry of Public Works, Meteorological Services and Transport, the Land Transport Authority, the Fiji Roads Authority, Fiji Police and Suva City Council, and received regional perspectives from Australia's Pacific Regional Infrastructure Facility.
Briefings and site visits covered integrated licensing and registration services, vehicle inspections, enforcement, road asset management, outsourced maintenance delivery and long-term performance-based contracting.
Minister for Infrastructure Development Rick Fuo'o, who led the delegation, said the tour showed how safer vehicles, effective enforcement and well-maintained roads could be addressed as a single, connected system.
"Fiji has a well-developed and highly integrated roads and traffic management system, and their experience can help guide us as we consider how our laws, institutions and maintenance arrangements can keep our drivers safe and traffic moving efficiently," Fuo'o said.
Fuo'o said the key lesson for Solomon Islands was that reform depended on laws, institutions, technology, enforcement and maintenance systems working together rather than in isolation. He said closer integration could help the country move from reactive repair projects towards more planned, accountable and sustainable management of the road network.
Australian High Commissioner Jeff Roach said the visit brought together senior Pacific transport leaders to share knowledge on maintaining safe roads in the Pacific environment, and that the tours adapted ideas from within the region.
According to the release, follow-up work will focus on reforms to the Road Transport Act to create a legal foundation for integrated services, digital operations and enforcement, coordinated with future arrangements for road asset management.
Participants also identified opportunities to assess local manufacture of vehicle registration plates, which are currently produced overseas, and to look at conducting vehicle inspections before vehicles are imported into Solomon Islands.
The high commission said Solomon Islands and Fiji agencies will continue to exchange technical experience as the reforms are developed. The study tour is part of Australia's support for the Solomon Islands Government to upgrade roads and improve the safety and maintenance of the road network.