I told you so
January 11th, 2012No reply
December 20th, 2011Waste not what others would really appreciate.
December 18th, 2011The original SZS website was taken off because of virus problems and the photos in earlier blogs have yet to be redone
October 26th, 2011Graffiti Camp
October 19th, 2011http://www.mydailynews.com.au/story/2011/08/26/ofarrell-mad-at-graffiti-law-changes/ I emailed him a suggestion last year
----- Original Message -----
From: stephens1510
To: barry.ofarrell@nsw.liberal.org.au
Sent: Monday, June 29, 2009 6:17 PM
Subject: Graffiti and how to get votes
Dear Mr O'farrell,
Graffiti is an ever increasing problem and needs a strong response to deter the morons that do it.
The Singapore way is to cane the offenders and that seems to work.
This punishment, even though it would certainly alleviate our graffiti vandalism, would never happen here.
To show that graffiti vandalism has consequences, maybe a "graffiti camp" may help.
Set up a camp out West with a high fence topped with razor wire, basic accommodation, basic facilities, basic food and where people can be sent to for graffiti offences and have to clean prepared spray painted brick walls every day of their sentence.
The staff there have authority to add extra days onto the sentence of anyone who refuses to co operate with the cleaning task.
Counselling, conferencing and community service won't work on these anti-social vandals, who have no regard for authority.
What happens now when people don't turn up for community service?
When people know that to get caught doing graffiti means a month, cleaning graffiti off a brick wall, with no TV, video games, and mates, day after day, this may get some result.
Compared to the cost of cleaning damage now, setting up and running a graffiti camp I think would be worth a go.
To show strong leadership on cracking down this problem will be appreciated by almost everyone out here.
Yours faithfully
Hans Stephens
...................
Graffiti is an ever increasing problem and needs a strong response to deter the morons that do it.
The Singapore way is to cane the offenders and that seems to work.
This punishment, even though it would certainly alleviate our graffiti vandalism, would never happen here.
To show that graffiti vandalism has consequences, maybe a "graffiti camp" may help.
Set up a camp out West with a high fence topped with razor wire, basic accommodation, basic facilities, basic food and where people can be sent to for graffiti offences and have to clean prepared spray painted brick walls every day of their sentence.
The staff there have authority to add extra days onto the sentence of anyone who refuses to co operate with the cleaning task.
Counselling, conferencing and community service won't work on these anti-social vandals, who have no regard for authority.
What happens now when people don't turn up for community service?
When people know that to get caught doing graffiti means a month, cleaning graffiti off a brick wall, with no TV, video games, and mates, day after day, this may get some result.
Compared to the cost of cleaning damage now, setting up and running a graffiti camp I think would be worth a go.
To show strong leadership on cracking down this problem will be appreciated by almost everyone out here.
Yours faithfully
Hans Stephens
...................
Graffiti and how to combat it.
October 13th, 2011
A trip to Singapore shows me how to curb graffiti.
Punish those that get caught. Nowhere did I see, while travelling throughout Singapore on train, bus, cable car, by taxi, or on foot, see one tag, graffiti or scratched window (and I was ready with my camera) except at a cafe on Orchard rd called, of all things, "GRAFFITI CAFE"
New drunk and disorderly laws
October 2nd, 2011What's this? sometimes comes up when I try to work this PC.
Readers of The Daily Telegraph would have asked the same question when they read my letter to the editor on Thursday last about Premier O'Farrell's answer to drunken anti- social behaviour.
Editing the letter and leaving out the one line (below) from the original e-mail I sent in, can make a big difference
"Well if you are caught intoxicated and disorderly twice in 6 hours you get a $200 fine."
----- Original Message -----
From: stephens1510
To: yoursay@dailytelegraph.com.au
Sent: Wednesday, September 28, 2011 8:55 AM
Subject: Tough new laws
Dear sir,
Premier O'Farrell said when announcing new laws, that anti social behaviour and alcohol related violence are one of the biggest challenges facing the Police and the community,
So what is the tough new law to ensure that people take personal responsibility for the way they behave?
Well if you are caught intoxicated and disorderly twice in 6 hours you get a $200 fine.
Whoopi do, if I let my wife out of my car on an empty bus stop so she can more easily hobble in to see her doctor well that can me cost over $200.
How many more parents will have to make the decision to turn off life support support systems for a loved one injuried in alcohol related violence before Mr O"Farrell gets serious about this "biggest challenge facing the Police and the community."?
Regards
Hans Stephens
No coal seam gas protest rally, St Peters Sept 18
September 19th, 2011There was a "NO COAL SEAM GAS" rally held in St Peters Sydney yesterday and I googled "breaking news" in the major paperes to see how it went.
No mention anywhere.
My Telegraph this morning, nothing
Sky News did mention the rally and said "several hundred" protesters were there.
"Once the police had cleared King Street of traffic, the crowd of thousands gathered & started their 2.4km march down King Street. Police told me they estimated the crowd at 5,000 or more."
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$30,000 eight day business trip.
.........................................................................
Violent protests over pollution in China
September 18th, 2011"HUNDREDS of Chinese have mounted violent protests against a solar panel factory in eastern China over three days, accusing it of cancer-causing pollution, state media reported."
A violent protest at a factory that makes solar panels?
That can't be right, solar panels and wind farms are what's going to save the planet
"The protests follow a number of a violent demonstrations in China, especially in the southern province of Guangdong, where tens of millions of migrant workers toil in the "workshop of the world"."
http://www.news.com.au/business/china-shuts-poisonous-factories/story-fn7mjon9-1226139458060
WIND TURBINE LETTER
"The Industrial Wind Action Group, an anti-wind power organisation, claims that "More than 100 broken windmills dot the landscape in California near Palm Springs". "
http://ramblingsdc.net/Australia/WindProblems.html#Wind_turbine_litter
"The owner of the wind farm should be made to remove it when it is no longer operating. Government has a responsibility to make sure that this will be done; perhaps there should be money compulsorily held in trust accounts specifically for the dismantling of wind turbines at the end of their useful lives? "
"PERHAPS" AND "SHOULD" ARE TWO WORDS IN THE ABOVE PARAGRAPH THAT ARE A WORRY.
Madison Aston is a big hit
September 13th, 2011There has been a huge number of hits on this website after people have googled Madison Aston
This I wrote last year about the lady in question
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Daily Telegraph 25/5/010
Story this morning
Photo Wednesday
Photo Thursday
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I sent this letter into the Daily Telegraph.
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Welcome to all you Ms Ashton fans.
To whinge or not to whinge
September 12th, 2011A repeat of a page "Will there be a freak accident, or a preventable one?" that I put up in July " repeated because of a this news story I read today
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"DANGEROUS ROADSIDE TREE" KILLS WOMAN
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8297573/tree-that-killed-woman-known-as-dangerous
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The branch that fell on the car and killed the poor girl (above) came from a tree that was complained about as dangerous, the tree that crushed a 4 wheel drive and put the driver a young mother in a wheelchair was dangerous.
http://hornsby-advocate.whereilive.com.au/news/story/mothers-uncertain-future-after-tree-falls-on-her-car-in-freak-accident/
"A tragic accident which left a young mother-of-two paralysed could possibly have been prevented if it was not for petty squabbling between government authorities."
Many trees in the Sutherland Shire are a tragedy waiting to happen.
..................................................................................................................................................
Trees have worked out (without discernable brains) that to be able to stand up and not fall over, it's best that you send out branches evenly as shown in this first photo.
Intelligent man however plant trees that can grow to a large size underneath power wires and then every year contractors have to hack away at these trees to keep branches clear of the wires.
But do the contractors hired by electrical supply companies think of the possible consequences in the way they carry out this necessary work?
A tree remains upright because the canopy foliage grows in a balanced
way.
How much stress is placed on the roots of these trees after having half of the balancing branches removed?
The combination of rain soaked soil around the base of trees and excessive stress on the tree roots by unbalanced branches is a "freak" accident waiting to happen along President Ave Miranda/Caringbah
With many trees overhanging President Avenue all that's needed is a strong Southerly and the stage is set for tragedy
Who has the common sense, a humble tree or man?
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White ants caused this freak accident but haphazard tree lopping is also white anting otherwise stable trees.
..................................................................................................................................................
Tragic tree-falling accident 'was preventable'
"A tragic accident which left a young mother-of-two paralysed could possibly have been prevented if it was not for petty squabbling between government authorities."
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8189360/tragic-tree-falling-accident-could-have-been-prevented
I rang the leader today (22/7/011) as a "concerned resident" to see if they could perhaps do a story to highlight this potentialy dangerous situation
..................................................................................................................................................
"Tree pruning is a specialised field requiring extensive knowledge of formative pruning, hazard reduction, and horticultural knowledge."
http://www.wsc.nsw.gov.au/uploads/787/what_is_roadside_vegetation.pdf
..................................................................................................................................................
The trees in the photos above don't seem to have had much "formative pruning".
When contractors prune trees there are any amount of taffic control persons, witches hats, and lanes blocked off because of O H & S regulations so that the workers safety isn't comprimised, but who looks after the motorists driving underneath the trees made dangerous by the work carried out?
Here's one in Menai, which way would this tree fall in a storm?
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Sometimes a suggestion or obvervation is noted, and acted upon
Near Sutherland Station there is a commutor carpark from where poor Janine Balding was abducted by lowlife and murdered.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Janine_Balding
The Council resealed the car park and planted shurbs along the road frontage.
These shrubs over the years grew into a hedge that hid most of the carpark from the passing traffic,and lowlife like those that murdered Janine like to hide to do their dirty work.
I wrote to the Council pointing out that someone from a nearby business had the front seats stolen from his car in broad daylight with the thieves doing their work hidden by the hedge.
I asked if something could be done to make it safer for commuters returning to their vehicles.
The following week every 2nd shrub was gone and the rest pruned to "improve sight lines"
Two years on and to show my suggestion was valid, I took this photo today 21/7/09
Now passing drivers can more clearly see what's going on in the carpark.
MP Andrew Stoner drumming up business
September 12th, 2011$30,000 eight day business trip.
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School's out for 40km/h zones
September 4th, 2011.
"THE NSW government will conduct a review of 40km speed zones outside schools and investigate whether traffic lights and road bridges would be more effective at stopping accidents"
"Would road bridges and traffic lights be more effective at stopping accidents?".......Dhhhhhh !!!
More flashing lights
September 3rd, 2011"A quarter of NSW schools are set to have the lights installed by the end of the year, with more than 740 flashing light school zones covering more than 900 schools on the cards."
http://inner-west-courier.whereilive.com.au/news/story/flashing-lights-for-coben-street/
"A quarter of NSW schools will have flashing lights"
So its taken since 1998 when school zones were introduced to get a quarter of schools done.
If the RTA had taken a common sense approach they would have used the Peter Olsen
http://schoolzonesanta.com/index.php?cat=67
style of flashing light units, and and for the money they spent ($13 million) on the dragon teeth
http://www.smh.com.au/national/dragons-teeth-to-guard-school-zones-20090523-biv2.html
triangles painted on roads in school zones, every school could have had flashing lights, but no, it's the super dooper over-engineered overpriced units RTA back to base monitoring fault reporting preferred units ( that still took over a week to repair, and then only when the breakdowns reported on the Alan Jones show on 2Gb)
http://schoolzonesanta.com/index.php?cat=55
that are being dribbled out.
And how many flashing lights per school?
Some schools have zones with multiple entry points.
http://schoolzonesanta.com/index.php/2007/12/03/title_42
For example there should olso be flashing lights for drivers in Lily st Hurstville to help make drivers aware of the school zone before they turn right onto Forest road, where just up the road is a speed camera to catch the unwary.
Drivers that "speed" after coming out of Lily st also endanger children, so a flashing light unit would therefore improve road safety.
The average driver doesn't mind slowing down at school zones, but need to know when it's school zone time.
At 5 to 8 you can do 60/70/ or whatever, but do that speed at at 8.05, then you can loose your license.
How many other school zones need more than just a set at either end on the main road?
Albanese protest Marrickville
September 1st, 2011Below are photos of mostly ordinary people there like me to point out that the smart arse comment in Parliament by Minister Albanese, calling the "Convoy of no confidence" a "Convoy of no consequence" after some of the protesters at great cost had travelled thousands of kilometers to get to Canberra.
Some of the crowd did go overboard and abused Mr Albanese who had come out to address the crowd.
Now normally Politicians in the firing line hide, but he as one of the chief head kickers in question time, came out to face the music didn't appologise, copped the abuse, and the media then had the "Mob attacks Albanese" headline. Very clever.
Sadly what happens is vision of the abuse makes the news and the justifiable anger of the original Albanese comment is sidelined
How many protesters, normal erveryday, non rent a crowd people prepared to go to rallies to show support, won't bother again after being demonised by the noisy ratbag few?
The organisor should have asked Mr Albanese the questions, and the rest kept repectfully quiet.
This is a mother's love
August 31st, 2011 
.The government says it won't switch a speed camera back on in Forestville, despite a multi-car crash ...
August 27th, 2011August 26, 2011:
http://www.optuszoo.com.au/tvandvideo/videos
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----- Original Message -----
From: stephens1510
To: office@gay.minister.nsw.gov.au
Sent: Wednesday, June 01, 2011 8:00 PM
Subject: speed camers work
Dear minister Gay,
I saw you on TV tonight speaking on the subject of speed cameras. You said any cameras found to be purely revenue raising will be ripped out. Any speed camera will slow most drivers down, so as they do slow cars they are doing their job.
Every media story on speed cameras focuses on the amount of "revenue" they make, not on the fact that they do slow most drivers.
You have a problem, if there is an bad accident at the site of a "ripped out" speed camera the story will change in the media, and of course in the House, asking why this "effective" road safety device was removed, with talk of knee jerk reaction etc.
The much mentioned variable speed cameras at Cleveland st Moore Park raised over $17 million in four years, can you tell me how much of this figure was raised outside of school zone time?
Nobody is against slowing down for kids during school zone time, but to be done for cruising through that deserted area a few kl/mh over at 2.0 am, would be the cause of most of the angst at that site. I think that switching off the variable speed function at the Moore Park site would go a long way in the public relation department concerning speed cameras without greatly compromising road safety.
Yours faithfully
Hans Stephens
..................................................................................................................................................
Leave cameras where they are but in the interest of good public relations, turn off the after hours function of variable speed cameras at school zones
No reply to the above email
The human Centipede II.
August 21st, 2011How low people will go to make money
The sequel to a horror film, it depicts a scientist who grafts together kidnap victims' mouth to anus.
''I didn't think it would be refused classification, but I was surprised that we weren't required to cut it,'' Ben Hellwig, the acquisitions manager for the film's distributor Monster Pictures, said.
And the Australian movie censors think this is entertainment
I have emailed the Federal Justice Minister Mr Brendan O'Connor and asked him why this film was classed as suitable in Australia without cuts.
Canberra August anti - carbon tax rally
August 16th, 2011This is the first photo I took from the bus on the way to the anti - carbon tax rally today
Across "lake" George you can see the new way of producing clean green power.... a wind turbine farm
Pity there's no wind
No THEY weren't speaking at the rally
Some of the people and speakers at the rally
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http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-08-25/gillard-continues-to-back-thomson/2855200
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-08-16/27convoy-of-no-confidence27-kicks-off/2840760
Official Police Cautions
August 10th, 2011.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/09/london-riots-kids-parents-police
What they need over in London are the Official Police Cautions that minors get here in NSW when they get caught doing graffiti.
That always works
http://schoolzonesanta.com/index.php/2009/07/22/graffiti_update
Knee jerk reaction?
August 3rd, 2011Second thoughts about removing the President ave Gymea speed camera?
A picture is worth a thousand words
July 28th, 2011From The Daily Telegraph 28/07/011
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It didn't take long everybody keeps saying how bad the speed cameras are and when 38 are switched off, it's started......with an article like this:
"NSW might be dismantling its "revenue raising" speed cameras but an international study claims the devices actually save governments huge amounts of money as well as lives"
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8278337/speed-cameras-save-governments-money
Speed cameras to be ripped out
July 27th, 2011Quarter of speed cameras in NSW turned off
"the cameras being removed raised $10 million during their time in use." said Mr O'farrell
Mr O'Farrell appears to have been wrong about that figure, in the article below it appears to be $10 million per year, still not too good for 38 cameras
Those 38 cameras are to be ripped out, I would think so, as those 38 only made $10 million since installed.
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NSW motorists outsmart speed cameras (NINE NEWS AUG. 26 2010) NB 2010
"A site by site annalysis of the fines issued by each of the fixed cameras around NSW, shows 32 of them failed to issue more than 100 fines in the year - a sign that drivers are now wise to their locations and instinctively slowing down befor speeding up again."
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/7951677/nsw-motorists-outsmart-speed-cameras
Where did the list of 38 cameras axed today come from I wonder?
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They would have cost more than $10 million to install and maintain.
The 2 speed cameras at Moore park made 17.4 million in 4 years, why wasn't that one switched off? Too effective maybe?
Now what is needed a list of all NSW speed cameras, and what they earnt in the last twelve months, next to that the list of the cameras that are to be switched off.
Newcastle Road, Lambton
Bangalow Road, Clunes
New England Highway, Murrurundi
New England Highway, Tilbuster
New England Highway, Quirindi
M4 Motorway, Wentworthville/Greystanes
Brunswick Valley Way, Ocean Shores
Delhi Road, Macquarie Park
Eastern Arterial Road, Gordon
Princes Highway, Broughton
New England Highway, Scone
Princes Highway, Nowra
New England Highway, Llangothlin
Princes Highway, Angledale
Pacific Highway, Kundabung
Pacific Highway, Urunga
Woy Woy Road, Kariong
Eastern Valley Way, North Willoughby
Hume Highway, Burwood
Bolong Road, Shoalhaven Heads
Warringah Road, Frenchs Forest
Manns Road, West Gosford
General Holmes Drive, Botany
Spit Rd, Beauty Point/The Spit
Bruxner Highway, Alstonville
Hume Highway, Coolac
Hume Highway, Tarcutta
Pacific Highway, Banora Point
Pacific Highway, Herons Creek
Pacific Highway, Bundagen
President Avenue, Gymea*
Carlingford Road, Epping
Blackwall Road, Woy Woy North
Ocean Beach Road, Woy Woy
Balgownie Road, Fairy Meadow
Sherwood Road, Merrylands West
Central Coast Highway, Bateau Bay
Great Western Highway, Parramatta
* The Gymea one being switched off is a surprize, as it is a variable speed school zone camera
What makes a speed camera "ineffective" enough to be axed?
All speed cameras will slow drivers down, therefore are effective, so what is the criteria?
I see on TV tonight the opposition is already saying that any accident happening at a previous camera location will be Mr O'farrell's fault.
And what is happening with the 40 ordered mobil camera vans that were to be rolled out this month?
I think what will happen is than after a couple of really bad accidents it'll be a case of "we will have to do something about the road toll and and as a deterrant in the interest of road safety the camera vans will reluctantily be rolled out"
.
Not for the money mind you, but for road safety.
More highway patrol in unmarked cars are needed to catch the real baddies not speed cameras.
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from a NRMA site:
http://www.mynrmacommunity.com/motoring/2011/04/08/speed-camera-audit-welcomed/
"The NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell said cameras such as the one on Cleveland st Moore Park, which catches motorists soon after entering a 50km/hr zone could go after the review"
I did email Mr Gay the NSW roads minister about the Cleveland st speed camera and received a a reply sort of....
http://schoolzonesanta.com/index.php/2011/07/09/road_minister_gay_what_was_the_question
speed camera audit smoke and mirrors
July 27th, 2011Addicted to speed
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/our-states-speed-camera-craving-for-more-revenue/story-e6freuy9-1226102281369
The top money raising speed cameras in NSW are all variable speed cameras in school zones
Speed cameras in school zones are great to help ensure the school kids safety, but to pick up drivers a few kl/mh over the limit outside of school hours as at Moore park or the ones at Wahrooga is a bit rich.
Which cameras will be found to be "purely revenue raising" and will be "ripped out?"
Unmarked highway patrol is the way to catch the real crimminals on our roads.
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Speed camera audit findings out tommorrow.
July 26th, 2011Speed camera audit findings out tomorrow
http://www.nsw.liberal.org.au/achievements/renovate-infrastructure/speed-zones
Will there be a freak accident, or a preventable one?
July 22nd, 2011Trees have worked out (without discernable brains) that to be able to stand up and not fall over, it's best that you send out branches evenly as shown in this first photo.
Intelligent man however plant trees that can grow to a large size underneath power wires and then every year contractors have to hack away at these trees to keep branches clear of the wires.
But do the contractors hired by electrial supply companies think of the possible consequences in the way they carry out this necessary work?
A tree remains upright because the canopy foliage grows in a balanced
way.
How much stress is placed on the roots of these trees after having half of the balancing branches removed?
The combination of rain soaked soil around the base of trees and excessive stress on the tree roots by unbalanced branches is a "freak" accident waiting to happen along President Ave Miranda/Caringbah
With many trees overhanging President Avenue all that's needed is a strong Southerly and the stage is set for tragedy
Who has the common sense, a humble tree or man?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
White ants caused this freak accident but haphazard tree lopping is also white anting otherwise stable trees.
..................................................................................................................................................
Tragic tree-falling accident 'was preventable'
"A tragic accident which left a young mother-of-two paralysed could possibly have been prevented if it was not for petty squabbling between government authorities."
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8189360/tragic-tree-falling-accident-could-have-been-prevented
I rang the leader today (22/7/011) as a "concerned resident" to see if they could perhaps do a story to highlight this potentialy dangerous situation
..................................................................................................................................................
"Tree pruning is a specialised field requiring extensive knowledge of formative pruning, hazard reduction, and horticultural knowledge."
http://www.wsc.nsw.gov.au/uploads/787/what_is_roadside_vegetation.pdf
..................................................................................................................................................
The trees in the photos above don't seem to have had much "formative pruning".
When contractors prune trees there are any amount of taffic control persons, witches hats, and lanes blocked off because of O H & S regulations so that the workers safety isn't comprimised, but who looks after the motorists driving underneath the trees made dangerous by the work carried out?
Here's one in Menai, which way would this tree fall in a srorm?
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8297573/tree-that-killed-woman-known-as-dangerous
RTA boss carpeted
July 21st, 2011Mr Busby has to reapply for his job, is there any chance his appilcation will be rejected?
"Auditor-general Peter Achterstraat's investigation into the state's fixed and mobile "safety" cameras is also likely to bring big changes, Mr Stoner said.
"If he comes back to us and says 'Well, clearly this camera's got no impact on road safety' it's gone. And it will go somewhere that it does, or if they can't say where there's an alternative site, then its gone completely.""
A big call Mr Stoner
One of the pre election mantras was the intention to "rip out" any speed camera found to be inneffective and purely revenue raising.
The speed camera audit findings are coming out in the next few days, well in July anyway.
As the RTA has already said that some cameras are ineffective there should be no delay in announcing their removal, or relocation
..................................................................................................................................................
The RTA has advised the NSW Government there are already some cameras it has targeted as ineffective and these will obviously be closely assessed in audit," Mr O'Farrell said
http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/newsevents/downloads/minister_releases/2011_04_06_speedcameras.pdf
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Road Minister Gay what was my question again ?
July 9th, 2011A blond was asked if she wanted coffee or tea?
She answered "yeeeess"
On June 1st I emailed the NSW Roads Minister Gay
..................................................................................................................................................
----- Original Message -----
From: stephens1510
To: office@gay.minister.nsw.gov.au
Sent: Wednesday, June 01, 2011 8:00 PM
Subject: speed camers work
Dear minister Gay,
I saw you on TV tonight speaking on the subject of speed cameras. You said any cameras found to be purely revenue raising will be ripped out.
Any speed camera will slow most drivers down, so as they do slow cars, they are doing their job.
Every media story on speed cameras focuses on the amount of "revenue" they make, not on the fact that they do slow most drivers.
You have a problem, if there is an bad accident at the site of a "ripped out" speed camera the story will change in the media, and of course in the House, asking why this "effective" road safety device was removed, with talk of knee jerk reaction etc.
The much mentioned variable speed cameras at Cleveland st Moore Park raised over $17 million in four years, can you tell me how much of this figure was raised outside of school zone time?
Nobody is against slowing down for kids during school zone time, but to be done for cruising through that deserted area a few kl/mh over at 2.0 am, would be the cause of most of the angst at that site. I think that switching off the variable speed function at the Moore Park site would go a long way in the public relation department concerning speed cameras without greatly compromising road safety.
Yours faithfully
Hans Stephens
..................................................................................................................................................
Today this came back from the Ministers Office
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From the reply above "any reduction or increase of speed camera programs will be based on the audit, and determined on road safety grounds"
That means the audit will find that speed cameras ARE effective in slowing down cars and a couple of obsolete ones will be "ripped out" for show, and then roll 'em out in the "interest of road safety"
YEEEEESS
In my Inbox an email headed: Lib news keeping you informed
Visit www.nsw.liberal.org.au/achievements to see how we are delivering real change for NSW.
I clicked onto a link on the site headed "Speed zones, with the byline "we have begun an audit of speed zones"
http://www.nsw.liberal.org.au/achievements/renovate-infrastructure/speed-zones
Road safety is my favourite subject and one of Barry's pre-election planks was "to rip" out any ineffective speed cameras so as I'm interested I click on the link, and this is the helpful extra info;
We have begun an audit of speed zones
I don't know about LIB news, maybe it should be called GLIB NEWS
Xmas in July for motorists?
July 4th, 2011Apil 2011
NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell says any camera found to be a revenue raiser rather than a safety enhancer will be removed. (ABC News: Giulio Saggin, file photo)
"The New South Wales Government has begun an audit of the state's speed cameras, and is promising to remove those that do not improve road safety."
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/04/07/3185043.htm
NSW Auditor-General Peter Achterstraat says, "the review will determined if cameras installed by the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) are located in areas with a high safety risk and if they reduce speeding and crashes."
http://www.busnews.com.au/news/articleid/74081.aspx
"The report has a limited scope, however, with Achterstraat saying it will not cover police speed enforcement measures, future speed camera initiatives, the accuracy of the units and other road safety measures."
"Future speed camera inititives" would I suppose would include the 40 new mobile speed camera due to be rolled out this month too.
http://www.caradvice.com.au/89856/rta-plans-40-more-mobile-speed-cameras-for-nsw/
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From Victoria comes news of "a speed camera audit"
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/ag-to-probe-use-and-integrity-of-road-cameras-20110524-1f2jx.html
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Good works pays fines
July 1st, 2011"People too poor to pay their fines will be allowed to work off their debts by volunteering with charities"
(from the Daily Telegraph)
The pilot program members, including homeless youth, people with mental illnesses and poor families, reduced their fine debt by a combined $294,000.
It's concerning the bit about "people with mental illnesses" racking up thousands in fines.
Should people with mental illnesses be allowed to drive a car?
How many drivers are caught driving while disqualified, get fined again, get disqualified for longer, get caught again and so on....?
The article doesn't say how many days of this work you have to do to work off "thousands of dllars in fines"
It's possible to rack up thousands if you drive while disqualified .
!st offence $3,300 2nd offence $5,500
http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/rulesregulations/penalties/serioustrafficoffences/unlicdrivoffences.html
You have to make it clear that if you loose your points you mustn't drive.
WHEEL CLAMP THE CAR THE FIRST TIME A DRIVER IS CAUGHT DRIVING WHILST DISQUALIFIED"
From my "Letters to the editor" category
Daily Telegraph
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