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Friday 12 May, 2006
Urgent Appeal to Premier Morris Iemma - MOVE ROAD SAFETY TO THE MAA By Harold Scruby The Hon Morris Iemma
Premier of NSW
Dear Premier Iemma
We refer to our correspondence below. These photos taken today simply reinforce what we've been trying to tell you.
It's time to move Road Safety away from the RTA. Let them build roads.
Do you realise that they do not even have a Director of Road Safety? The directors are engineers and media people. Their job is to Improve Traffic Flow (More Cars Faster).
Road Safety personnel are way down the food-chain.
 This is the same pedestrian zone RTA contractors park in every day of the week. (see photos below)
 It's cultural.
Regards
Harold Scruby
PCA |
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The Hon Morris Iemma
Premier of NSW
Dear Premier Iemma
Re our email below to you yesterday, please now look at these photos taken less than an 2 hours ago adjacent to and near the crossing where Sophie Delezio was hit last Friday and then read the following plea:
  If this RTA vehicle had been parked on the road at this location, the penalty would have been
$225 and 1 Demerit Point.
  And just further down the road - the RTA's Variable Message Signs:
  3 offences: Park in Mail Zone - Penalty = $75
Park Facing the wrong way Penalty = $125 The unbroken yellow line indicates it's a No Stopping Zone - Penalty = $175
Seaforth Shopping Centre. This is virtually a valet-parking zone and NEVER enforced.
The RTA sees this as a Council problem. Nothing to do with them. Pass-the-parcel. Their silo not our silo. Further to our email to you yesterday (copy below), we now appeal to you to consider moving the responsibility for Road Safety to the Motor Accidents Authority under the umbrella of a Ministerial Road Safety Committee, comprising yourself, the Attorney-General and the Ministers for Roads, Transport, Local Government, Health and the MAA. Our reasons are outlined in this article published in the SMH in January 2003.
The RTA published Road Safety 2000 in 1995 and Road Safety 2010 in 1999. Both have been abject failures and the Road Toll is now 15% up on last year. But no-one is to blame. No-one accepts responsibility. No new ideas. Simply "MORE OF THE SAME".
Just read what your own Chairman of the STAYSAFE Committee said about the RTA back in 1998. Yet nothing's changed, except the date. Now you would think, following probably the most publicised pedestrian crash in Australia's history, the RTA would swing into action to ensure that pedestrian safety is of utmost priority . But no.
I was asked by the Manly Daily to go to the pedestrian crossing where Sophie Delezio was hit this afternoon. I made a bet with the journalist that there would be vehicles in the Pedestrian Zone at Seaforth Shopping Centre (about 200 meters from the tragedy in French's Forest Road). You can see the results below. Vehicles are always parked in the Pedestrian Zone and the Bus Zone. And the Rangers are NEVER there.
But when I arrived at the Pedestrian Crossing where Sophie was hit, would you believe there were 2 RTA surveyors there AND THEY HAD PARKED THEIR TRUCK BLOCKING THE ENTIRE FOOTPATH IN A SCHOOL ZONE. Penalty = $75 adjacent to the road where the penalty would be $175.
Then, to add insult to injury, they DRIVE THEIR VEHICLE IN REVERSE ALONG THE FOOTPATH (in a Schoolzone - visibility zero) - RTA Penalty = $300 fine and 3 Demerit Points. (see attached video).
You see Premier, it's a culture. The RTA is a road building organisation whose objective is IMPROVING TRAFFIC FLOW (or MORE CARS FASTER). And as such, SAFETY just gets in the way. It's right at the bottom of the food-chain on their list of objectives. And that's why a culture like this evolves. The arrogance coupled with ignorance encourages behaviour like this to prevail.
There is absolutely no reason in the world they parked and drove on the footpath here, forcing school children onto the road. I suppose they think these ubiquitous witches hats form some sort of safety barrier.
Please Premier, no more Task Forces, no more excuses. Just move the entire Road Safety division of the RTA to the MAA and allow them to have an independent voice. And please consider our proposal for the Ministerial Road Safety Committee.
Then the RTA engineers can get on with building roads.
Regards
Harold Scruby Chairman/CEO Pedestrian Council of Australia Limited "The Walking Class Heroes" |
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The Hon Morris Iemma
Premier of NSW
Dear Premier Iemma
The photos below, taken today, reveal what is occurring every day, many times a day, across NSW.
And the Government and most Councils are doing as little as possible to change this behaviour and avoid future tragedies like the one which occurred last Friday in Seaforth.
In NSW this offence attracts a fine of $225 and 1 Demerit Point.
After extensive consultation, Carl Scully, the RTA, the Police, the NRMA and every Road Safety stakeholder in NSW, including the then Leader of the Opposition, John Brogden agreed it should be 3 Demerit Points and $225.
Shortly after Mr Scully's announcement, the new Roads Minister, Michael Costa, following pressure from vested interests, behind closed doors and without any consultation, reduced the penalty to 1 Demerit Point.
The Opposition's Shadow Minister, Andrew Stoner issued a Media Release condemning the move.
Line of sight (between motorists and pedestrians) is critical at Pedestrian Crossings as the horrific tragedy of last Friday has confirmed. The NSW Court of Appeal has unanimously found that Councils are responsible and liable for ensuring adequate Line of Sight at Pedestrian Crossings and Zones.
https://www.walk.com.au/pedestri Since its introduction on 1 July 2005, most NSW Councils have treated the new Penalty with utter contempt, either deliberately or ineptly refusing to properly enforce this law. Our FoI revealed that amongst the worst are North Sydney and the City of Sydney Councils.
We are appealing to you, Premier Iemma, to immediately convene a major Pedestrian Summit - not another RTA Task Force comprising the usual suspects - one comprising experts, primarily from outside Government, to recommend the best actions to reduce this staggering NSW Road Toll and ensure there are no more Sophie Delozio tragedies.
And we ask that you immediately increase the Penalty for Stopping in a Pedestrian Zone to 3 Demerit Points (and a $225 fine). These trucks belong to RTA sub-contractors building the Lane Cove on-ramp.
In spite of scores of emails to Mike Hannon at the RTA, they are there every day. 5 PIN's were issued by Police and Rangers to these vehicles for parking in a Pedestrian Zone on Monday morning.
   Yours sincerely Harold Scruby Chairman/CEO Pedestrian Council of Australia Limited "The Walking Class Heroes" |
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