tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14457232127152238.post7889714066935474890..comments2023-11-03T00:06:36.875+11:00Comments on Bunyipitude: Tunnel VisionBunyiphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14668398379654771814noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14457232127152238.post-23406847563688579922012-03-09T12:43:07.177+11:002012-03-09T12:43:07.177+11:00Your argument could equally apply to those high sp...Your argument could equally apply to those high speed roads where inadequate width shoulders are present. For the sake of saving a few mil, the powers that be put lives at risk when breakdowns occur. Roads are designed to fit within a 'budget' and that is where the problems begin.Nemesishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17345412268251500273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14457232127152238.post-56289712501262065882012-03-09T09:49:08.281+11:002012-03-09T09:49:08.281+11:00The police association's (union) around the co...The police association's (union) around the country have become politicized over the years and are now more like industrial trade unions than the police union of old. I am a retired police officer and resigned from the NSW Police Association due to the socialistic attitude that organization is now taking.Nemesishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17345412268251500273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14457232127152238.post-88730415088188006462012-03-09T09:44:19.559+11:002012-03-09T09:44:19.559+11:00Traffic Infringement Notices have to be entered on...Traffic Infringement Notices have to be entered onto computer, and generally at the end of each shift. The original infringement notice is issued at the scene, and including the obligatory radio check, usually takes less than ten minutes to complete, while all infringement notices issued during the shift have to be entered onto the computer which involves many different pages of information be recorded. That is where the cop is taken off the street to provide information through a computer system that is linked to many government departments who all want their share of the info. Big Brother is well and truly alive and is killing the effectiveness of the traffic cop.<br /><br />It is interesting to note; that prior to the advent of the computer and police being required to enter ALL data onto it, the issuing of an infringement notice had ALL the relevant information required if the traffic violator decided to go to court to contest the 'ticket'. Nothing has changed as far as the 'ticket' is concerned, it is the requirement of 'other' information to be entered onto a computer that keeps the cop in the office and off the streets.Nemesishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17345412268251500273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14457232127152238.post-80292035811684191812012-03-09T09:42:13.850+11:002012-03-09T09:42:13.850+11:00I think we're missing the point here... Yes th...I think we're missing the point here... Yes the nanny state of Victoria uses 'speeding' to fill government coffers but the true reason the Burnley and Domain Tunnels are dangerous is the complete lack of emergency lanes on the hard shoulder. I don't know how many accidents could've been avoided if there was just some space to swerve and avoid a potential collision. How this wasn't picked up when reviewing the initial engineering designs absolutely baffles me... The only explanation I can think of was that it would cost too much to put an extra 3m of width into the tunnel. But surely those 3 lives that were lost would have been worth the extra $ it would cost to have the emergency lanes in place. I mean what happens if you break down or blow a tyre?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14457232127152238.post-17901001313625351232012-03-08T23:03:04.154+11:002012-03-08T23:03:04.154+11:00It seems that both anon and furkenburger do not wa...It seems that both anon and furkenburger do not want any legislated limit in behaviour so far as speed is concerned, an anarcho-libertarian standpoint as far removed from a conservatism as that of a barking Trotskyist, and just as likely never to be the accepted. Which is just as well, for speed kills and injures, and what follows is great misery to many (except ambulance chasing lawyers). My simple point is that when a driver acts stupidly, or makes an error, or is inattentive (as we all are at times), then the greater the speed at which the vehicle is travelling at that point, the greater the chance of a collision, and the injuries flowing from the collision. This does not deny furkos point about education.rafikinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14457232127152238.post-79027568014052832612012-03-08T20:42:32.250+11:002012-03-08T20:42:32.250+11:00If I were to draw up a list of 10 things I would d...If I were to draw up a list of 10 things I would do to improve Victoria, number one would be the abolition of the TAC.<br /><br />Number two would be to find out why the police union always seems to have a stranglehold on the government - and break itAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14457232127152238.post-21789639848521601992012-03-08T20:30:48.831+11:002012-03-08T20:30:48.831+11:00"Pedestrian Council of Australia"
Reade..."Pedestrian Council of Australia"<br /><br />Readers may be interested to know the much saught after by media Pedestrian Council of Australia is actually...one man.<br /><br />"OVER the past five years Harold Scruby, chairman of the Pedestrian Council of Australia, has averaged at least one mention in mainstream media every week. It's a level of coverage that even politicians would struggle to match as Scruby fights for the rights of pedestrians. Scruby's name not only appears regularly in the media (In the past week he has publicised his views on road dangers as various as four-wheel-drives and bicycles) but he is also perhaps the most dedicated complainant to the Advertising Standards Board. "<br /><br />"Sources at the ASB suggest Scruby and a small band of supporters are the main reason why car ads last year were the sector that received the most complaints.<br />According to information obtained by Media, complaints against car ads largely emanate from just four sources. "These four complainants collectively complained about 53 separate motor vehicle advertisements during 2003," a source at the ASB said. "In most of these cases they were the sole complainants in<br />Australia." According to the source, 72 per cent of complaints come from these four sources.<br />"twostixnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14457232127152238.post-36875658394601681872012-03-08T19:09:29.183+11:002012-03-08T19:09:29.183+11:00If I am driving down the Western Ring road at 120 ...If I am driving down the Western Ring road at 120 kph and there is not another vehicle or person in sight am I driving dangerously. I would suggest not (unless my car can't cope with that speed!). If I am driving down the same stretch of road at 100 kph (the speed limit)and up ahead I can see flashing lights, people milling, etc I should be able to drive through there at 100 kph because that is the speed limit. Am I driving dangerously in this case? Absolutely. <br /><br />In other words treating the speed limit as an "absolute" is pure stupidity. Drivers need to be taught to guage road conditions and drive accordingly using the speed limit as a guide. Given that driving conditions change with changing weather conditions, traffic and other considerations, to enforce speed limits in an "absolute" manner can only be considered revenue raising rather than road safety.<br /><br />Speeding never killed anybody. Abject stupidity, human error and lack of driving skills certainly do. The only thing here that the government has any control over is driving skills. The sooner they teach drivers to drive rather than "point and shoot" the better off we all will be.Fred Furkenburgerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03288409261386543721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14457232127152238.post-82612634281048499142012-03-08T18:17:04.703+11:002012-03-08T18:17:04.703+11:00I was a member of vicpol and I am unaware of any p...I was a member of vicpol and I am unaware of any practice involving the use of a computer when issuing a PIN in Victoria, perhaps you are from another state? Never the less I agree with you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14457232127152238.post-778125321938798452012-03-08T16:41:40.442+11:002012-03-08T16:41:40.442+11:00Sounds like you need to apply the John Singleton d...Sounds like you need to apply the John Singleton defence.<br /><br />Meanwhile maybe speed limits should be means tested?arnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14457232127152238.post-58354704296302548082012-03-08T16:06:18.753+11:002012-03-08T16:06:18.753+11:00Before the 'speed' camera became another g...Before the 'speed' camera became another government revenue raiser the law allowed for discretion of police in determining what constituted a 'speeding' offence. The officer would be permitted to allow a 10% leeway in the recorded speed he had noted, as compared to the actual speed that was signposted. In other words, if the speed limit was 100kph and the offending vehicle had been clocked at 110kph the officer could allow the vehicle to continue driving at that speed without penalty. Times have changed, and the 'speed' camera is now the new 'silent cop' that once used to adorn our intersections. <br /><br />But are 'speed' camera's really a good deterent in reducing the road toll which the police hierarchy and our politicians seem to be constantly wringing their hands over?<br /><br />And what constitutes the term 'speeding' 5,10,15,20,30 or 40 kph over the limit? Or should road, driving and weather conditions be the major deciding factor when handing out 'speeding' tickets?<br /><br />It may interest the reader to know that it once used to take under 10 minutes to issue a traffic infringement notice. That notice can take up to an hour to complete on the computer system which means the traffic cop has now less time on the road to do his/her job, and as most of us can appreciate, having fully marked Highway Cars cruising up and down freeways is far more effective in reducing collisions than those revenue raising cameras.Nemesishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17345412268251500273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14457232127152238.post-19598780074861956652012-03-08T15:19:46.352+11:002012-03-08T15:19:46.352+11:00Well, honey, perhaps you should have bought a ute....Well, honey, perhaps you should have bought a ute.Pamelanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14457232127152238.post-26660892387574540552012-03-08T14:55:25.513+11:002012-03-08T14:55:25.513+11:00Strewth. rafiki please try to understand the diff...Strewth. rafiki please try to understand the difference between the reality of driving conditions, and a legislated limit on behaviour. They may not be mutually exclusive, but the intersection point is quite chimeric. Likewise, driving over the speed may, or may not be related to a driver being inattentive of the conditions.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14457232127152238.post-46203958075025016482012-03-08T14:45:31.386+11:002012-03-08T14:45:31.386+11:00In SA the Cmsr of Police sets a guideline. From m...In SA the Cmsr of Police sets a guideline. From memory, speed cameras on a stretch of open highway must be at least 1 km apart. There may be something similar in Vic.<br /><br />My client was snapped by cameras 4 km apart. Police refused to accept that it was one continuing offence, and so would not drop one or other of the charges. So, off to Court. It was a car registered to a company; and the company was named as the driver. The Magistrate had never seen a company drive a car. 2 acquittals, and 2 lots of costs against the Police!Thomas the Toutnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14457232127152238.post-42970404045366846792012-03-08T13:54:32.340+11:002012-03-08T13:54:32.340+11:00Interesting that young master bunyips friend was f...Interesting that young master bunyips friend was fined multiple times in one transit. This is an error at law, demostrated by a celebrated NSW case where a driver was fined twice in the space of 2 kilometers by 2 seperate cameras. He argued successfully that he was "speeding" in the first instance and while still speeding in the second he was in the process of undertaking a single offense and could only be fined once. You can't be convicted of mutiple murder for stabbing someone 10 times. Young master bunyips friend has grounds for appeal, based on significant precident. He was not speeding multiple times, just once for an extended period. 1 fine only.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14457232127152238.post-20141170808149693032012-03-08T13:41:06.816+11:002012-03-08T13:41:06.816+11:00Bunyip,
I have a dilemma - I refuse to drive in v...Bunyip,<br /><br />I have a dilemma - I refuse to drive in victoria due to the ridiculous revenue camera rip offs and I also no longer holiday there as well, on principle.<br /><br />However, I find myself having to travel to melbourne frequently for work and the taxi drivers there are an absolute disgrace. <br /><br />I recently caught a cab from tullamarine to the CBD and have never been so terrified in my life - the taxi driver's habits were down right dangerous and utterly stupid. Add to that the fact that I've been a passenger in no less than two separate taxi accidents over the last two years and you can see where I'm going with this...<br /><br />Perhaps it's time I simply banned going to victoria full stop.Rabznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14457232127152238.post-84051676317252300522012-03-08T13:22:12.366+11:002012-03-08T13:22:12.366+11:00Lamentably, Prof, that's what happens when the...Lamentably, Prof, that's what happens when they put machines in charge of men (shut up moaners, generic implied here, insert personkind if you must). Machines are not into subtle manoeuvring, such as my friend (called Ahem) is inclined to make, and who suffers from being tooted as a blonde too.<br /><br />Thanks for the driving in Melbourne tips, Prof, as I may have to do some of that in a month or so.<br /><br />Blogstop, I am inventing a whole new personal language with those clever wasted words that robots cannot read as I too have numerous goes at proving that I am not one. I am getting better at it, but that diminishes the vocabulary. I wish you bmnopL flmoot manawapd today. Toach, everyone.Elizabeth (Lizzie) B.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14457232127152238.post-37580843544156769332012-03-08T12:31:37.155+11:002012-03-08T12:31:37.155+11:00Professor,
You need a bit of background music fo...Professor, <br /><br />You need a bit of background music for this post. Here you go:<br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_wLVCLPx0MDave from T-Townnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14457232127152238.post-8467612569118814982012-03-08T12:24:10.485+11:002012-03-08T12:24:10.485+11:00A good start would be to abolish the Monash Uni Ac...A good start would be to abolish the Monash Uni Accident research Centre. That is where most of the focus on speed comes from. I'm sure you noticed that the road safety ads on TV over the past few years focus on motorists striking careless pedestrians and how the blame lies with the driver not the person who crossed the road without looking. I'm sure that the goal of Monash (as well as the Pedestrian Council of Australia) is to get the law to treat all drivers as guilty until proved innocent. The recent push by cycling associations to change the onus of proof is the first public step of the campaign.<br /><br />I've said before I believe that all laws and regulations where statute is the victim should be removed from the law books. If people cause harm to others let them answer for that not for what they might do. Were not far from thought crime at times.<br /><br />I once asked a Highway Patrol member why it is ok to drive on the Western Ring Road at 100kph in the pouring rain in peak hour traffic (terrifying) but dangerous to drive at 140kph at 2:30 am with no others around. He said it was the law and whether it was safe or not was irrelevant.sfwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03592447707671698816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14457232127152238.post-83641692759610047862012-03-08T12:18:49.220+11:002012-03-08T12:18:49.220+11:00Sorry, but this does not make sense. There must be...Sorry, but this does not make sense. There must be a correlation between, on the one hand, inattention on the part of a driver and the speed of the vehicle, and the likelihood of a collision on the other. And exceeding the speed limit is surely an example of NOT DRIVING TO THE CONDITIONS, given that the speed limit varies according to the conditions. For example, we can I suspect agree that exceeding the limit in a school zone is not driving to the conditions. Sure, it may often be an inexact correlation, but it is not feasible to be more exact. So far as studies go, there was one way back in the 60s which found road traffic offenders were more likely to engage in anti-social behaviour.<br /><br />Prof, your point seems to be that road design creates dangerous situations. Yes, it does, but that is not to say that speed limits should be increased. Rather, fix the road.rafikinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14457232127152238.post-15807371812395947352012-03-08T12:17:36.199+11:002012-03-08T12:17:36.199+11:00People that sit on 80-90 kph on single lane countr...People that sit on 80-90 kph on single lane country highways and get a long line of frustrated drivers behind them are the biggest menace on the roads. If you or your car cannot do 100kph, you shouldn't be licensed/registered.<br />At the very least pull over occasionally and let the traffic past.Andrew Lnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14457232127152238.post-87800616200441069952012-03-08T12:04:41.516+11:002012-03-08T12:04:41.516+11:00Mt copper mate here in Wa shares some office space...Mt copper mate here in Wa shares some office space with the local cockroach (speed camera man)<br /><br />He was bragging that one long weekend he snapped 400.<br />Lets look at the LEAST amount of money he could have pulled in.<br />Double fines on a long weekend $75 becomes $150.<br />440 times 150 is $60,000....<br /><br />His favourite position is around a "sign farm" area on a new section of road which, to date, hasnt had a major accident yet. Quite easy to miss the sign from 70 down to 60 though.<br /><br />My father has a car yard, he is legaly required to keep a log book of all test drivers in case they get a ticket. The fines usually arrive 3 months after the offence.<br /><br />Money raising scum. <br />(Ps: Never been booked by one)thefrollickingmolenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14457232127152238.post-2863472161137298182012-03-08T11:51:18.544+11:002012-03-08T11:51:18.544+11:00This false witnessing that speed, even 5 or 10 kmh...This false witnessing that speed, even 5 or 10 kmh over the limit, is responsible for accidents, is proved on a daily basis by thousands of drivers. You could say that someone like er, my friend, who regularly goes a bit over the signposted limits should be having about three accidents a week instead of none for twenty years or more.<br />If politicians and the police are not to be held in disregard over these fake scares and blatant revenue raisings they need to stop it and target the real culprits, who are more extreme in all facets of driving: higher speeds, abrupt lane changes, running red lights (not just amber-red change point)failure to keep adequate clearance from other cars, plus the old slow-and-don't-know-where-I'm-going people.<br />OK, that's three attempts to read those ridiculous letters that are a barrier to commenting. Not much future in this lark prof!blogstropnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14457232127152238.post-78553692041849602642012-03-08T11:30:08.299+11:002012-03-08T11:30:08.299+11:00It will not change Professor ,as long as the Big g...It will not change Professor ,as long as the Big government LABORAL PARTY rule .We need another Henry Bolte to gee up these modern Polywankers.Borisgodunovhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18251294056445027166noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14457232127152238.post-13089948432400466222012-03-08T11:26:18.503+11:002012-03-08T11:26:18.503+11:00I hired one of the three people killed in the Burn...I hired one of the three people killed in the Burnley Tunnel accident. I know it's not my fault but I keep thinking to this day of the consequences of that decision. He was a good, decent person who was a hard worker and a lot of fun to be around. His loss was a terrible tragedy for his terrific family, friends and colleagues.<br /><br />I am known as somewhat of a hoon driver. In spite of my reputation for appearing a bit cavalier on the roads I have never had a traffic accident, having used what I term my roadcraft skills to avoid serious situations. Luck has also played a part, of course. However, in spite of my confidence in my abilities the ONLY place I was ever nervous when I was driving was in the Burnley Tunnel. It is a very scary place for the reasons you outline so well, Prof.Jack Lactonhttp://www.jacklacton.comnoreply@blogger.com