I have a thing about waste.

Why spend a fortune on solar powered school zone flashing lights when there is a proven cheaper alternative availiable.

Driving past the new Cronulla Railway Station car park, I noticed security cameras on poles in the car park inside the spike topped 8 foot high security fence.

The locals call the highfenced carpark "Stalag 13"

These are 4 of the 12 security cameras.

Why would you need 12, yes TWELVE cameras for a 30 car space car park surrounded by an 8 ft fence?

AND THERE'S MORE!!!!!

TO LOOK AFTER THE CARS OF RAILWAY STAFF, AS WELL AS THE FENCE AND THE 12 CAMERAS, THERE IS ALSO A 24 HOUR SECURITY GUARD.

Where are the machine gun towers?

All the authorised users of the car park have an electronic tag that opens the automatic entrance gate

BUT....

It appears that there have been problems with this gate and it malfunctions and the guard is there to make sure that cars entering the car park are allowed to.

I was told that the gate malfunctions in the OPEN position.

Does the construction company that installed the faulty gate pay for the security guard?

Why the need for 12 cameras, is the law and order situation that bad in Cronulla?

Are we in Sydney or Baghdad?

I'll email the transport minister who is also happens to be the deputy premier and ask him.

If no result there, maybe Today Tonight or A Current Affair might be interested to show the voters where their money goes.

______________

----- Original Message -----
From: stephens1510
To: Deputy Premier
Sent: Thursday, August 21, 2008 9:34 PM
Subject: Cronulla station carpark

Dear Mr Watkins,
The new Cronlla railway station staff car park which is surrounded by an 8 ft. high spike topped, steel security fence, now has 12 security cameras to watch over it's 30 car spaces.
Is law and order so bad in Cronulla that this number of cameras are needed inside an 8 ft fence? The locals call this car park "Stalag 13"
Railway staff of course need their cars looked after, but is it necessary to have a 24 hour security guard there as well as this 8 foot fence and 12 cameras?
I was told that the guard is there to check cars coming in when the automatic gate malfunctions.
It appears that the gate often doesn't close, so drivers have to prove right of entry.
Is the company that installed this faulty gate ( John Holland I believe) paying for this security guard?
If not, why not as it's their gate that malfunctions?
To have a man stand in a small car park around the clock in case the gate won't close is almost laughable, but the average person struggling to make ends meet wouldn't see the funny side.

Efficiently running a railway system and all that it entails is a huge undertaking, but the obvious waste of public money as this appears to be at Cronulla, doesn't look good.

Thank you for your time

Yours Faithfully
Hans Stephens

I went to Sutherland court today to see for myself what happens when you take a Beverly Hills "over 60" to court.
A driver was there who pleaded not guilty to 4 offences that were detected on the Northbound speed camera.
The driver told the judge he didn't realize it was 60 there, and spoke of the inadequate signage.
He said that if Police had pulled him over the first time (instead of the camera) he wouldn't have got the other three.
After admitting to the RTA lawyer that he was the driver of the vehicle in the speed camera photo, the judge ruled the offences proven and let the driver off 3 of the fines by way of a "section 10", no conviction, but you still loose the points.

It's all really a farce, you go to court, the judge listens, he realises the setup there is confusing because of the BS signage, but he can't throw it out, and because you've taken the trouble to front up, he says that the offences are proven, and gives you a "section 10"

The next driver after a spirited effort to sway the judge his way on a similar alleged offence after pleading guilty, was also awarded a "section 10", no fine but loss of points.

Would having a $1200 lawyer represent you make a difference?

----- Original Message -----
From: "a P plater driver" info@schoolzonesanta.com
Sent: Sunday, July 27, 2008 7:05 PM
Subject: P crisis. not giving you my email

> your a retad not every P plater drives like a moron this is just ageist if it were a older person to crash they wouldnt suffer as much as a P plater would
>
> This messages was sent via the email form on your blog.
>
>
>
> No virus found in this incoming message.
> Checked by AVG.
> Version: 7.5.526 / Virus Database: 270.5.6/1575 - Release Date: 26/07/2008 4:18 PM

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This person obviously taken offence at my P Plate driver crisis category.

Where have I said anywhere in this website that "every P plater drives like a moron"?

I have tried to help good average drivers, whatever class of licence.

PS most computers have a spell check function.

Ever since starting this website I have tried to be as accurate as possible.

Information from newspapers or other media is of course only as accurate as the reporting.

I was told yesterday that the piece of footpath where the illegal paper stand had been trading at Sutherland Station IS SUTHERLAND COUNCIL RESPONSIBILITY, they (council staff) told me it belonged to Railcorp.

The room on platform one that now is the reopened paper kiosk was not redecorated by railcorp, the tenant had to that, Railcorp only took six months to remove a signal box from an inside wall of that room.

Six months to remove a switch box !!!!!

Congratulations Railcorp.

This morning taking my dogs for their walk I see that the illegal paper stall at Sutherland station wasn't set up in it's usual spot on Railcorp property.

The vendor instead had it set up on the footpath outside his newsagency which is now a council problem.

What a lot of nonsense, how many desks did it have to go to till someone at Railcorp picked up the phone to tell Sutherland railway security to just ask this chap to cease and desist.

I hope that all this nonsense doesn't impact in any way on Mr Ng, as I said all he wants to do is run a business to provide for his family.