Lights man riles RTA

From the Fairfield City Champion. ( 8/04/2009 )

" PETER Olsen is a man on a mission to light up the lives of drivers passing schools.

The 51-year-old grandfather, a former computer programmer, is working towards reducing the number of road accidents in school zones in the area by having set up 11 flashing signs for motorists passing school zones.

They are at Fairfield West and Canley Heights public schools on the Cumberland Highway, Bossley Park High School on Prairievale Road, and Cartwright and Green Valley primary schools in the Liverpool area. And Mr Olsen would like to install another five.

The lights have been funded by Brydens Law Group, Liverpool, whose staff had read about Mr Olsen's work in other Sydney suburbs."

" An RTA spokesman said such lights would not have cost the RTA $1.5million and they did not meet standards.

They were too small, could be obscured by shrubbery, are difficult to see from the road, run off a power cord from private homes, carry only a single message, do not alert motorists to school zones."
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Well Mr RTA spokesperson if you swallowed your pride and use the technology that Peter gave you for free, the same technology that has worked flawlessly for years at Lurgano/Peakhurst schools keeping the kids safe, then he wouldn't be doing your job.

This is a Olsen flashing light set working in Peakhurst.
NB. the cars's brake lights.

Of course the lights Peter is installing now are on private property, and for the best effect need to be on the school zone signs, but the RTA would send 10 blokes in three trucks to tear them down as they did before, untill adverse publicity and 2GB's Alan Jones got involved.
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"could be obscured by shrubbery," is one reason to rubbish Peter's CHECK SPEED lights.

From this website archives 16/01/07

"This one with the young trees in front (which will only grow bigger), hide this even more expensive flashing light set, and on the road divider is, you guessed it, another sign, highly visible from way up the road.( even back as far as Park St.)

A close up of this sign is a couple of pages back

What can I say.
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The RTA did solve the above obscuring tree problem, they took an axe to them very soon after I mentioned it.
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The RTA is moving from Surrey Hills to North Sydney and are spending a reported $1,000.000, yes 0ne million on new chairs.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/800608/rta-spends-23-million-on-office move
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Peter Olsen askes a question in today's press realease

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MEDIA RELEASE

20 April 2009

WHAT YOU CAN GET FOR $1,000?