School Zone Santa .Com

Today's St George and Sutherland Shire Leader had a front page article:

TRUCKERS IGNORE FINE

http://www.theleader.com.au/news/local/news/general/kirrawee-truckers-ignore-fines/2001435.aspx

As you can see the article is expanded from the letter I sent into the Leader some weeks back that didn't appear on the letter's page as I thought it would.

The article doesn't use much of my email and readers could be misled as to my intent by writing it.

----- Original Message -----
From: stephens1510
To: leaderletters@fairfaxmedia.com.au
Sent: Thursday, October 21, 2010 10:29 PM
Subject: Parking discretion

Dear sir,
there have been many letters to the Leader concerning parking infringements, whether it's being fined for parking the wrong way in some quiet cul de sac, being hit with a $405 fine after inadvertantly parking in a disabled spot at Miranda fair, or being singled out for attention on the (at the time sparsely used) top level of the Council carpark at Cronulla, and recentily the young plumber at nabbed Jannali.
There of course have to be laws to avoid parking chaos, and the Sutherland council in 2008/2009 financial year issued 29,282 parking fines worth $3,633,247, thereby avoiding much chaos and generating a bit of revenue for Council coffers at the same time.
After reading those figures, there would be those that think that the Council rangers don't have a heart or show discretion, but they need only to drive down Waratah st Kirrawee between Bath and Oak rd where ranger compassion is clearly on display.
At any time there are truck trailers parked across as many as nine parking bays (each) for weeks at a time.
I find it rather galling for Council rangers to drive past this flagrant flouting of regulations to trawl the back streets of the Shire for any hint of law breaking, and I suggest Council either make this part of Waratah street a legal parking lot for surplus truck trailers (as there are ample spaces for cars along the street), or enforce the law.

Regards
Hans Stephens
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I did point out that there is plenty of parking for cars in the area and the trailers aren't really in the way.

But every morning the council regulation enforcement personal in their little vans drive up from the Council depot in The Boulevarde and with a "hi ho it's off to work we go" trundle past those trailers and head off for easier pickings

The Council could paint out the lines and change the signs in that area of Waratah street and then the playing field is even for truck trailer owners, and the rest of us.

The excuse used they can't book the trailers because there is nowhere to put the ticket, that's a good one, a bit like the dog ate my homework line.

Take a photo of the number plate and send it to the owner.

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I have sent this email into the Leader to try and clear things up a bit

----- Original Message -----
From: stephens1510
To: leaderletters@fairfaxmedia.com.au
Sent: Thursday, November 18, 2010 8:52 PM
Subject: To the editor

Hi,
Today the Sutherland edition of the Leader did a story about the truck parking in Waratah St Kirrawee. The reporter did ring me about it after she saw my "Letter to the editor."
Sadly the article didn't convey the point of my letter and judging by an email from a Leader reader and who I've I have just replied to, I'm considered to be a bit of a nark.
It appeares truckies are desperate for parking in Kirrawee.
I (and my wife who now thinks our house will be fire bombed by an angry truck driver or owner) would like my original email printed in the Leader to better explain my original intent.
Thank you for you time,

Regards
Hans Stephens
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