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OUTRAGEOUS, DANGEROUS, OUTDATED AND UTTERLY UNACCEPTABLE PARKING PENALTIES AND ENFORCEMENT ANOMALIES IN NSW |
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WHERE PEDESTRIANS REMAIN SECOND CLASS CITIZENS |
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The Chairman of the Pedestrian Council of Australia, Mr Harold Scruby, has called on the NSW Government to take urgent action regarding the outdated Penalties, Regulations and Enforcement of the footpath parking laws, which act to seriously compromise the safety, amenity, access and health of pedestrians. Mr Scruby said: "The Auditor-General's Report on Street Parking Enforcement has now been gathering dust for over 2 years. It is a damning indictment of ancient work-practices and anomalous and contradictory laws, regulations and penalties. The A-G found: " Some laws, or penalties under the law, seem to be at odds with the perceived objectives of the law. For example, the severity of penalties for certain offences which involve pedestrian safety (for example parking a motor vehicle on the footpath, which is potentially dangerous) attracts the same penalty as exceeding the permissible parking time, that is $63. Also dangerous parking, unlike dangerous driving, attracts no demerit points (from a driver's licence. Yet to date, nothing has been done to improve the rights of pedestrians. .... " Mr Scruby quoted from an article in The Sun-Herald of Sunday 29 April 2001: "'Low' fines don't deter city parkers By ALEX MITCHELL - State Political Editor SOME parking fines are so low they no longer act as a deterrent, according to a senior police officer. City police parking patrol co-ordinator Jan Whalan said some motorists were willing to park illegally and pay fines for the convenience of driving in Sydney's central business district. For example, a motorist who parks illegally on a footpath in the city faces a fine of only $63, which executives can write off as a business expense. In a letter to the Pedestrian Council of Australia, Ms Whalan said: "As much as the parking police enforce this, it has little impact on the motorist as the offence carries such a low penalty of only $63. "The penalty is of no deterrent, and to quote one motorist's own words, 'Go ahead and book me, it's cheaper here'. "The parking police find this very frustrating. Under the current legislation we are only allowed to issue the vehicle with one infringement per day unless the vehicle or the offence changes. "Currently we have no authority to arrange for a tow of the vehicle as this only applies to clearways and bus lanes." Mr Scruby added: "The Government must act now. A picture is worth a thousand words. The photos below prove our points and demand immediate action from the responsible politicians and authorities" |
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GEORGE STREET CORNER KING STREET (directly in front of the entrance to the NRMA building - one of the busiest intersections in Sydney) | |
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STOP OR PARK HERE ON THE ROAD IN THE BUS LANE - PENALTY $220 PLUS 3 DEMERIT POINTS PLUS $125 TOW-AWAY COSTS (It's OK to obstruct pedestrians but not motorists) PARK IN THE AVERAGE CITY CAR-PARK ALL DAY - $52 | |
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PARK HERE ON THE FOOTPATH ALL DAY - PENALTY $63 (NO TOW-AWAY RIGHTS) |
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GEORGE STREET CORNER KING STREET (directly in front of the entrance to the NRMA building - one of the busiest intersections in Sydney) | |
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PARK OVER TIME ON A PARKING METER - PENALTY $63 - AND YOU CAN STAY THERE FOR THE REST OF THE DAY BUT PARK HERE AND OBSTRUCT PEDESTRIANS OR THE DISABLED - EVEN FORCE PEDESTRIANS TO RISK THEIR LIVES ON BUSY ROADS - PENALTY $63 |
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PARK HERE ON THE FOOTPATH ALL DAY - PENALTY $63 (NO TOW-AWAY RIGHTS) |
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"DOING A JOB" - WHERE COMMERCE PRECEDES SAFETY & PROFIT COMES BEFORE PEOPLE | |
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PARK HERE AND SERIOUSLY COMPROMISE THE LIVES AND SAFETY OF PEDESTRIANS (Particularly the Elderly, Children and the Disabled) PARK HERE BLOCKING THE ENTIRE FOOTPATH PARK HERE FACING THE WRONG WAY PARK HERE ON THE WRONG SIDE OF DOUBLE LINES | |
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PARK HERE ALL DAY - PENALTY $63 (AND NO TOW-AWAY RIGHTS) |
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"SAFER ROUTES TO SCHOOL" | |
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PARK HERE AND SERIOUSLY COMPROMISE THE LIVES OF CHILDREN GOING TO AND FROM SCHOOL, PARK HERE BLOCKING THE ENTIRE FOOTPATH, PARK HERE FACING THE WRONG WAY - PENALTY $63 - BUT DEFACE A PAY AND DISPLAY TICKET - PENALTY $348 | |
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PARK HERE ALL DAY - PENALTY $63 (AND NO TOW-AWAY RIGHTS) |
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" WALKING FOR HEALTH " | |
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PARK HERE AND SERIOUSLY COMPROMISE THE LIVES AND SAFETY OF PEDESTRIANS (Particularly the Elderly, Children and the Disabled) PARK HERE BLOCKING THE ENTIRE FOOTPATH PARK HERE AND RUIN THE AMENITY AND ACCESS OF PEDESTRIANS PARK HERE AND WRECK THE CHANCES OF PEOPLE WALKING FOR THEIR HEALTH PARK HERE TO AVOID BEING BOOKED FOR PARKING TOO CLOSE TO DOUBLE-LINES (It's OK to obstruct pedestrians but not motorists) BUT POUR PAINT DOWN A DRAIN - PENALTY $1,500 | |
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PARK HERE ALL DAY - PENALTY $63 WITH VIRTUALLY NO CHANCE OF BEING BOOKED (AND NO TOW-AWAY RIGHTS) |
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Mr Scruby also quoted from The Daily Telegraph of Thursday 27 January 2000: Councils’ infringement - Bid to take over parking fine issue By MARK SKELSEY and WILL TEMPLE PARKING offenders should be hit with higher fines and docked licence points under a submission from NSW councils. Local government also wants to take control of handing out infringements across the State. The Local Government Association (LGA) last week lodged a submission with the State Government, which is conducting a review of parking enforcement. An Auditor-General’s report released in November found that the State Government’s parking police, who began operating in 1945, were inefficient. The report found that the 320 State parking officers issued 50 per cent fewer tickets per officer than 40 years ago and took among the highest number of sick days of any public sector employees. The LGA submission said councils should control parking ... The LGA submission also calls for increased penalties for parking across a driveway, which carries a $61 fine, and for heavy trucks in local streets, now a $68 fine. Higher penalties for dangerous parking offences near pedestrian crossings, now $200, and on footpaths, now $60, as well as a new offence for leaving trailer bogies on public roads, should be introduced, it said. The submission also said: “For the law to be effective, some form of meaningful deterrent (loss of demerit points in relation to a licence or registration) needs to be implemented.” Pedestrian Council of Australia chairman Harold Scruby welcomed the LGA’s submission, saying police resources should be freed to investigate criminals. “Every taxi driver in Sydney knows they will not be booked for parking illegally, they will just be warned,” he said. “The parking police do not want confrontation. “They just want to book parked cars with expired meters and protect their patch ...” |
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WALK SAFELY TO SCHOOL DAY | |
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JUST TWO DAYS BEFORE "WALK SAFELY TO SCHOOL DAY 2001" THESE PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN ARE FORCED TO WALK ON THE ROAD IN GLEBE, SYDNEY, BECUASE THE AUTHORITIES BELIEVE THAT IT IS MORE POLITICALLY ADVANTAGEOUS TO TURN THEIR BLIND EYES TO WIDESPREAD ILLEGAL PARKING THAN TO CARE ABOUT THE LIVES AND LIMBS OF CHILDREN. MOTORISTS CAN PARK ON THE FOOTPATHS THROUGHOUT THE LEICHHARDT MUNICPALITY, ALL DAY, EVERY DAY, WITH LITTLE IF ANY CHANCE OF EVER BEING BOOKED - SURELY THIS MAKES AN UTTER FARCE OF THE GOVERNMENT'S "SAFER ROUTES TO SCHOOL PROGRAM" - PENALTY $63 - BUT THROW A CIGARETTE FROM A CAR - PENALTY $220 OR DRIVE A VEHICLE WITH A LOUD HI-FI - PENALTY $200 | |
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PARK HERE ALL DAY AND FORCE PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN TO RISK THEIR LIVES BY HAVING TO WALK TO SCHOOL ON THE ROAD - MAX PENALTY $63 (AND NO TOW-AWAY RIGHTS) |
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