ACT drivers

bileduct said :

Spideydog said :

It’s not just about “putting someone as risk” How bout common courtesy ….. but thats alright as long is one is looking out for number 1 – who gives a s$%t about anyone else right !! I am sure the the people waiting at the roundabout thinking your victorian friend was going straight on the roundabout, only to veer of without indicating, would have loved their driving courtesy.

It doesn’t bother me one bit that others don’t indicate when leaving a roundabout, and that includes when I am waiting to enter said roundabout.

I don’t share your rage, sorry.

Rage …… Pffft. Your advocating being lazy and discourteous on the road.

Tooks said :

I find it pretty irritating having to stop at a roundabout because someone is too lazy or inconsiderate to indicate their exit. But then again, that 5 second delay doesn’t exactly ruin my day.

I agree.

I find it pretty irritating having to stop at a roundabout because someone is too lazy or inconsiderate to indicate their exit. But then again, that 5 second delay doesn’t exactly ruin my day.

Spideydog said :

It’s not just about “putting someone as risk” How bout common courtesy ….. but thats alright as long is one is looking out for number 1 – who gives a s$%t about anyone else right !! I am sure the the people waiting at the roundabout thinking your victorian friend was going straight on the roundabout, only to veer of without indicating, would have loved their driving courtesy.

It doesn’t bother me one bit that others don’t indicate when leaving a roundabout, and that includes when I am waiting to enter said roundabout.

I don’t share your rage, sorry.

I can’t believe that average, relatively intelligent people still blindly believe the political “speed kills” mantra.
There is no evidence to support it, only healthy revenue to be obtained from perpetuating the myth. In fact, in several, more enlightened countries, studies have shown that people will only drive at the speed they are comfortable and safest at, some people can safely drive 20 km/h faster than you, some slower. Enforcing arbitrary speed limits does little except frustrate the majority. 10 km/h over the speed limit is not unsafe, 30 or 40 km/h, sure, but that is a very rare occurence.
Statistics show that there have been several declines in the annual road toll in Australia, one was when seat belts were made mandatory in vehicles, another when drink driving laws were implemented and enforced.
There was NO decrease, and there has not been a decrease, in fatalities or accident rates since speed cameras and speed enforcement with radar equipment has been introduced. It is purely revenue raising and an easy, cop out way for governments to say they are doing something.
I don’t know how any police officer can reconcile the hypocrisy or enforcing speed laws when they themselves know they are not the issue with regards road tolls.
It’s far easier (and cheaper)to point a radar at someone than it is to properly educate people how to drive, or ban repeat drink drivers off the road, for example. Let’s not even start on non Australian standard roads and intersections, or dangerous road surfaces, things which councils and governments have made themselves exempt from prosecution for being negligent.
So, it’s time people woke up to the speeding bullshit and started speaking up against it and demand realistic responses to the REAL threats to road users.
And frankly, the ACT government should look a lot more closely at vehicle safety and roadworthiness and the way it is not even vaguely enforced, before spending another cent on any further anti speed measures. I’ve never lived anywhere with more bald tyred, smokey, non functioning light vehicles in my life……..

bileduct said :

Leaving Barton today I sat behind a woman with Victorian number plates who:

Failed to indicate when turning left (twice)
Failed to indicate when merging lanes (twice)
Failed to indicate when changing lanes
Failed to indicate when leaving a roundabout
Failed to stay at or below the posted speed limit for almost the entire length of Adelaide Avenue

And I didn’t care one bit because precisely none of these actions put myself, or anyone else for that matter, at risk.

It’s not just about “putting someone as risk” How bout common courtesy ….. but thats alright as long is one is looking out for number 1 – who gives a s$%t about anyone else right !! I am sure the the people waiting at the roundabout thinking your victorian friend was going straight on the roundabout, only to veer of without indicating, would have loved their driving courtesy.

The laws are there for a reason and if you choose to obey whatever one’s you feel appropriate, well cry a river when you receive a fine.

Love yor work bileduct

astrosapien said :

bigred said :

Just acept that every one is out to et you, that you are responsible for your own safety and the rules are only really guidelines and you will probably be OK.

The “rules are only really guidelines”!?!

Hands down, one of the dumbest things I’ve EVER seen or heard…

My hat goes off to you… You just reached an all new height of stupidity…

Actually, what bigred said makes perfect sense, unless you’re one of those people who believes it’s safe to proceed through an intersection based solely on the fact that the light is green, or that it’s someone else’s responsibility to check if you are in their blind spot.

Leaving Barton today I sat behind a woman with Victorian number plates who:

Failed to indicate when turning left (twice)
Failed to indicate when merging lanes (twice)
Failed to indicate when changing lanes
Failed to indicate when leaving a roundabout
Failed to stay at or below the posted speed limit for almost the entire length of Adelaide Avenue

And I didn’t care one bit because precisely none of these actions put myself, or anyone else for that matter, at risk.

farq said :

I call troll. everyone knows that traffic cops don’t have any friends?

Yeah, but a traffic cop has probably saved one of your family members a few times from getting a bad driver off the road or at least changed their driving manner, unbeknown to you. With a great deal of gratitude I see too …… lol

Genie said :

Wow… Why don’t all of you get off your high horses and give this guy a break…

He pointed out his mate is a police officer – so its kinda his job to take note of people breaking the law.

I most likely break the law every day when I get into my car – but I would still appreciate our police making a better effort to book people, perhaps pass this onto the AFP see if they care or not.

Belconnen is horrible at the moment with lots of new traffic lights, and people running the red lights – because either A – they haven’t seen there is now a traffic light there, or B – well they are idiots for not stopping for a red light. (and yes I mean RED light, not amber lights… but clearly a red light) Sadly the worse set of lights Ive noticed is only 100-200m down the road from the Police Station.

You should see the amount of people that complain about getting pulled up from speeding up and running an amber light …..

Apparently speeding up, to run an amber light, to beat the red, is seen as “not safe enough to stop…”

…ho hum…

Jim Jones said :

Just follow the damn rules, people. They’re not difficult, and arguing about them will get you precisely nowhere.

You are all free, Australians! Free to do what you are told!

Sgt.Bungers said :

* 4 drivers using their mobile phone when driving.

Were these people on hands free or using car kits? Both are equally dangerous. Australia’s mobile phone car kit laws are absurd. It’s the conversation that distracts people, having only one hand on the wheel is a side issue.

The same could be said for anyone with a radio turned on while driving, that it could be distracting.

Sgt.Bungers said :

* 3 drivers who did not wait for pedestrians to clear a zebra crossing before moving on.

Is that illegal at the moment?

Rhetorical question, but no its not. Its illegal to enter a school zone crossing while there is anyone on the crossing, but a normal zebra crossing you can cross as soon as your lane is clear.

Sgt.Bungers said :

* 3 cyclists including 2 chidren not dismounting at lights.

A pet peeve of mine that people using bicycles are expected to dismount left right and centre in this country. [snip] Am I correct in thinking that one of the reasons for this low figure in Aus is that cyclists have few rights under Australian law and are in fact considered “wheeled pedestrians”?

Not to rehash a previously beaten-to-death concept, but yes bicycles are wheeled pedestrians. They often travel on the public roads at well under the speed limit, and like pedestrians (and unlike vehicles) they can often enter/leave the roadway without notice. They pay no more/less to use the roads than a pedestrian, however often feel they have the same rights as vehicles, rather than the same rights as pedestrians, and get to pick and choose whether theyre riding under vehicle laws or pedestrian laws.

Yeah, sure: question, argue, refine.

But you don’t ignore the rules while the process of questioning is in progress.

In order to break the rules, first you have to master them – any decent artist will tell you that.

That’s where you’re wrong Jim. The rules are there to be followed, but they’re also there to be questioned, discussed, and refined. If the rules and the norm are never questioned, progress will never be made.

Jumping Jesus on a pogo stick. Just follow the damn rules, people. They’re not difficult, and arguing about them will get you precisely nowhere.

Remember – we’re all in this together.

Wow don’t know how I missed this post! Anyway prepare for the longest rebuttal ever.

* 64 cases of drivers not indicating left when leaving a round about. (yes, we went around lots of round abouts)

Very lazy practice I’ll admit, and also inconsiderate to other road users attempting to enter a busy round about. However despite being inconsiderate, is it really that dangerous? Would you or anyone else enter a round about if there was a vehicle approaching you with no indicator on? No because you don’t know what the driver is going to do. Would you enter it if they did have one on? Far more likely… but what if they’d forgotten to cancel the indicator and were indicating incorrectly? You’d be involved in a crash, and you may be partly to blame for not giving way to a vehicle already in the round about.

* 13 drivers who did not indicate when changing lanes

This is lazy driving at it’s finest. Drivers who don’t indicate have no regard for anyone who may inadvertently be in their blind spot. Sitting in someone’s blind spot is a bad idea, but at times it can be difficult to avoid in heavy traffic. That said, how are your mates speed cameras going to stop this?

* 4 drivers who did not indicate when turning.

Refer to round about comment… of course indicating prior to turning also aids drivers behind in telling them what you’re about to do before you start to brake. However someone following at a safe distance behind wont have an issue with a driver gradually slowing to make an indicated turn, or even someone braking heavily without their indicator on.

* 7 drivers not indicating when merging.

A polite formality, but only essential if other road users aren’t paying attention to the road properly. If a driver is forced to merge due to a lane ending, where else are they going to go but into the continuing lane next to them, or “zipper up” at a form one lane. If all drivers in the area are paying proper attention to the road, the need for an indicator here would be completely eliminated. Unfortunately it’s not easy to book a person for not paying propper attention to the road unless they cause a crash.

* 4 drivers using their mobile phone when driving.

Were these people on hands free or using car kits? Both are equally dangerous. Australia’s mobile phone car kit laws are absurd. It’s the conversation that distracts people, having only one hand on the wheel is a side issue. Ban people from using mobile phones at all while driving, and they’re far less likely to wind up in a situation where they’re going to need both hands on the wheel to take evasive action.

* 1 driver turning against a do not enter sign.

Silly thing to do and possibly dangerous depending on circumstance.

* 2 drivers who failed to give way to pedestrians at traffic lights while turning.

A very dangerous practice. A result of the protected “bubble” effect that people receive when they’re in a metal cage. Overseas studies show that people driving convertibles are four times less likely to beep their horn at other people, as they’re not as isolated from the negative feedback they’re likely to receive. I wonder if the same is true in regards to correctly giving way to people on foot.

* 3 drivers who did not wait for pedestrians to clear a zebra crossing before moving on.

Is that illegal at the moment? The NSW RTA website has a gif image showing international visitors how to use a pedestrian crossing. http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/rulesregulations/internationalinterstate/pedestrians.html. Note how the white car clearly proceeds before the pedestrian has exited the crossing.

* 6 probable cases of drivers exceeding the speed limit in a school zone.

Change the law to say that any driver who hits and kills a child in an active school zone regardless of circumstance receives a manslaughter charge with minimum prison sentence, and the speed limit could safely be set at 200km/h… it can be guaranteed that so long as the law was well publicised, very few drivers would pass through an active school zone at above walking pace. Current road rules regarding pedestrians are quite slack, and in many cases are designed to protect motor vehicle operators from people on foot. IMHO, this should be the other way around in any commercial, residential, or industrial area, or indeed anywhere with high amounts of pedestrian activity. Anyone opting to get around using the most dangerous form of transport available, should have 100% of the burden not to hit anyone else. Implement laws like this and walking and cycling will suddenly become a far more attractive way of getting around, aiding in combating Australia’s obesity epedemic, and our high levels of green house gas emissions.

* 2 probable cases of drivers probably exceeding the speed limit by 20 km/h, both on Hindmarsh Road hill.

So? That road is 5 lanes wide, and except for the Mugga Way intersection at the top of the hill leading into red hill, that particular part of hindmarsh is limited access. Parkes way/William Hovell has a 90km/h speed limit through several sets of traffic lights. Why does this part of Hindmarsh not also have a higher speed limit? If the Mugga Way intersection was upgraded to include a proper merge lane, there is no reason the speed limit on Hindmarsh could not be 90km/h between Tyagarah Street and Canberra Ave. Given the volume of trucks that use the road, a seperate truck limit of 60-70km/h on the downhill stretches would be appropriate, but that can be said even now with the 80km/h general limit. Impement a speed limit that is reasonable, and far more people are likely to obey it.

* 1 cyclist not stopping for red lights. (but for two lights)

Speed cameras won’t stop that…

* 3 cyclists including 2 chidren not dismounting at lights.

A pet peeve of mine that people using bicycles are expected to dismount left right and centre in this country. 0.8% of trips in Australia are made by bicycle, this figure is over 50% in many DEVELOPED countries overseas. Am I correct in thinking that one of the reasons for this low figure in Aus is that cyclists have few rights under Australian law and are in fact considered “wheeled pedestrians”? It also creates tension between motor vehicle users and bicycle users, as tall poppy syndrome suffering idiots in cars resent people on bicycles making progress as a result of not obeying a stupid law that shouldn’t exsist in the first place.

* Countless pedestrians walking through “do not walk” signs / symbols.

Another pet peeve is the law regarding this. With the exception of motorways, a person on foot should have the right to walk through any public space without hindrance. Naturally self preservation would mean people wouldn’t walk into the path of cars, but when it is clear there are no vehicles approaching, a person on foot should be free to cross the road, regardless of which diode or thin bit of metal is glowing on the other side. In the UK, where their citizens have a bill of rights, it took a while for pedestrian traffic signals to come into effect. Initially in places like Australia, “Don’t Walk” signals were used to control people on foot trying to cross roads. This instruction was in fact illegal in the UK, given the government could not legally tell a person on foot, they were not allowed to use a public road. Hence the “Red Man” was invented. The red man in the UK legally means “WAIT”. It does not mean “Do not proceed” Big difference. I’m having trouble finding a reference for this, I read it a long time ago. You have to admit however it would be a rather extravagant thing for me to make up 🙂

* 2 seperate traffic accidents in almost the same sppot just under an hour apart.

Out of curiosity, where were these crashes? I highly doubt they were accidents given it’s rare that in a traffic collision nobody can be blamed.

As you can see I resent quite a few road rules that I consider out of date in Australia. Simply put I like to question everything. That said I obey the majority of road rules. The primary exception being rural dual carriageway and motorway speed limit. I tend to sit on 120 instead of 110. I fail to see how a road that costs millions of dollars per km to build can only legally be traversed at around the same speed as a dirt road which cost $100 for each hour of a bob cat operators time.

Also out of curiosity, how many people driving too fast for the conditions, yet under the speed limit, did your mate spot? How many people did he spot who didn’t slow down passing a pedestrian standing near the road, in case they stumbled? How many people driving drunk/drugged/unregistered and uninsured did he spot? 🙂

Anyone who thinks I’m a wnkr for posting such a long and possibly controversial reply, road safety is a hobby of mine and something I spend time thinking about, researching and reading about when I’m out of the car. It is something I’ve had an interest in since I started riding push bikes when I was a kid. Back in the day my mates in yr 11 and 12 would refer to me as grandpa as I’d take 2-3 minutes longer to get anywhere due to sitting at the speed limit. I also drove with my headlights on 24/7 (and still do) Most of them were too embarrassed to get in the car with me. 🙂 Most of those people have since caused serious crashes in their life time. I am yet to. Since commencing driving, I have sat several defensive driving courses, ambulance officer advanced driving courses and hold a truck licence and bike licence, I have driven in several countries all over the world. I regularly campaign to the ACT Gov about issues in the ACT, and have managed to get a few changes implemented. The primary thing I’m attempting to campaign for now is more rights for cyclists and pedestrians on local streets, and more sensible (usually higher) speed limits on major arterials.

So I’m not just an opinionated tosser. I’m an educated opinionated tosser 🙂

OP if you were to refer my post to your mate, I’d be interested to hear his response.

bigred said :

Just acept that every one is out to et you, that you are responsible for your own safety and the rules are only really guidelines and you will probably be OK.

The “rules are only really guidelines”!?!

Hands down, one of the dumbest things I’ve EVER seen or heard…

My hat goes off to you… You just reached an all new height of stupidity…

Just acept that every one is out to et you, that you are responsible for your own safety and the rules are only really guidelines and you will probably be OK.

schmeah said :

blah blah blah!

“RiotACT welcomes constructive, thoughtful and positive comments.”

Wow. Looks like you ticked all the boxes ;P

blah blah blah!

you need a new friend

And I’m the bitch doing her makeup in the rearview mirror!

SyntaxEra said :

So here’s my rant:
Are you one of the people who come shooting down past others in the right hand lane, doing 80 in a 60 zone, only to jump on the breaks and try to slip in front of me to make a left turn?

Yes, I do this all the time. The look on your face is priceless.

Tailgating, speeding, not indicating, yadda-yadda. You all do it.

So here’s my rant:
Are you one of the people who come shooting down past others in the right hand lane, doing 80 in a 60 zone, only to jump on the breaks and try to slip in front of me to make a left turn? Well I aint moving spanky, get to the back of the line maggot. If you tried that s**t on me in a queue at the supermarket I’d knock you out. Do it to me on the road and expect the same result.

If you cannot fit 2 car spaces between you and the car in front, you are tailgating! Well handbrakes don’t activate a vehicles brake lights, so try it with me and you’ll be flywall deep into my boot.

Do you have a P plate? You’re an idiot. Next!

Woman? DO YOUR FREAKIN MAKEUP AT HOME YOU RETARD!

Nuff’said.

There are plenty of places in the world where traffic moves at 140km/h or more. And there are times when it is ok to do so. The speed limit in NT on the main north-south highway is now 130km/h. The reduced it from ‘unlimited’ a few years ago (and fatalities have actually increased).

Assuming you are safe because you don’t exceed the speed limit is one of the reasons 1800 Australians die each year on our roads. Use your brain.

Schmeah, keep up the incandescent indignation – it’s a look that suits you

bileduct said :

schmeah said :

Clown Killer – where do you get off thinking it’s ok to drive at 140km/h?!

Disgraceful behaviour, isn’t it. I hope there were two lanes, I would have been quite aggravated sitting on this Sunday driver’s arse.

Indeed. Hope he wasn’t sitting in the right hand lane while going so slowly.

schmeah said :

Clown Killer – where do you get off thinking it’s ok to drive at 140km/h?!

Disgraceful behaviour, isn’t it. I hope there were two lanes, I would have been quite aggravated sitting on this Sunday driver’s arse.

Clown Killer – where do you get off thinking it’s ok to drive at 140km/h?! Are you so proud you had to publicise this action?

What was the speed limit – 100km/h?! You’re an idiot and if you don’t kill yourself, you’ll kill someone else. How would that sit in your precious conscience!

And no doubt you’re thinking – ‘I’m a good driver, I have total control when I drive over the limit’. WRONG. This doesn’t make you a good driver, it makes you a selfish, thoughtless, inconsiderate Arse Clown.

Too bad that cop didn’t give you a ticket and take away multiple points on your licence so meat heads like yourself might actually learn something (or just be barred from driving full stop).

Jim Jones said :

Perhaps everyone could calm down for a second and stop making pointless generalisations.

C’mon man, what fun would that be?

I should read ALL the posts before I comment. Point already made. Sorry..

UrbanAdventure.org said :

Primal said :

“Then he pointed out that technically NT is now a state, which I knew anyway, but figured I’d mention it anyway.”

Nooooo. No it isn’t. In no way at all is that accurate. Can we safely presume that the rest of this article is equally wrong?

The NT is self governing, just like the ACT is. A territory is one administered by the Federal government. A state is one that is self governed by an elected government of that that state. So technically the ACT and NT are both states, despite their names. But in practice, they are still called territories.

I’m quite amazed at the number of people who prove to argue the person instead of arguing the point. And others who forget about the disscussion at all and just pile insults on a person. Really demonstrates what a low level they want to sink to. I have a sneaky feeling I could have said my mate was from any state and people would be making up all sorts of crap about that state in an effort to argue or troll. Bit sad really. 🙁

Even though the ACT and NT are self governed, we are still Territories of the Commonwealth of Australia. And the Commonwealth of Australia can veto or overturn any laws or decision made by either Legislative Assemblies.

The worst traffic infringement is drivers who are too lazy or incompetent to indicate that they are exiting (or remaining on) a round-a-bout. The number of times (as a pedestrian or cyclist) that I’ve been near swiped, or left standing unnecessarily in the rain waiting for a driver to exit, by one of these douches is inconceivable (INCONCEIVABLE)! Indicate PLEASE! It’s easy and painless!

Oh and all the yobbos in Commodore Utes screaming up the Monaro Hwy, swerving in and out of traffic haphazardly! Slow down, take a chill pill and grow the fuck up. I don’t want to be killed or maimed, and I don’t want anyone I love to be killed or maimed, just so you can prove to your small brained friends how fucking inconsiderate you are.

cleo said :

Canberra have the best roads in any other state here in Australia, and the worst drivers, especially when raining, as they just don’t slow down in the wet, also don’t put their lights on when it’s raining.

I was driving in the rain yesterday: many cars had their lights on, and some were driving more slowly than normal.

Perhaps everyone could calm down for a second and stop making pointless generalisations.

hax said :

usually everyone just goes with the flow which is fine.. there’s enough cameras to catch the standout idiots not paying enough attention.

Are you serious!?! What kind of MORON thinks that just “going with the flow” is acceptable!?! Have you not noticed how much faster above the limit people normally drive when they “go with the flow”!?!

Case in point: Limestone Ave
The speed limit is 60!! And with good reason! That road has houses right on it! How would you feel if people insisted on driving right past your house at 80km/h!?! It’s NOT safe…

Then you’ve got the problem of escalation. One idiot drives past another idiot. Idiot No. 1 is clearly speeding. Idiot No. 2 sees idiot No. 1 and thinks “if that guy gets to drive that fast then so can I”. Idiot No. 2 starts going faster too, and before you know it idiots No. 3-6 all get the same ideas…

I know speed limits are no fun, and there are definitely some that I think are signposted with inappropriate speeds, but the fact of the matter is that at the end of the day it’s the LAW, and the law isn’t going to give a flying f&*k if some moron/idiot is just “going with the flow”.

It’s still dangerous, it’s still irresponsible and wreckless… The only people that think that it’s ok to speed for ANY reason are people with an over-inflated sense of their on-road capabilities.

So maybe you’re wondering why I’m coming down this hard? I, like a lot of people, have friends and family either seriously injured or killed in motor vehicle incidents. The incidents didn’t necessarily involve speeding, but the thing that so many people forget is that these cars are dangerous machines. They DO kill people, and the speed limits are there to regulate the use of these vehicles so that the chances of serious injury or worse are reduced. Noone should consider themselves above this. And normally the people who DO think that they are above it are the ones with the fewest skills to back it up.

Morons/idiots…? YES… If you can’t match a number on a sign at the side of the road to the number on your speedometer, then chances are you shouldn’t have a licence…

As for the original point of the email:

Canberra drivers are pretty bad… Saw a number of near misses on the weekend just gone alone, not to mention speeding drivers down the Parkway despite it raining (see points above on how I feel about that).

But it’s not surprising things have gotten this bad. There is almost a zero police presence on the roads. The local council seems to think that a bunch of speed cameras placed through the city is an effective way to combat speeding. But with the lack of ACTUAL cops on the roads drivers don’t ever get a chance to feel that they’re in danger of getting in trouble with the law. And if there is noone to stop them from doing what they like then they are just going to continue doing it. Noone is telling them not to…

The unfortunate thing in this city is that all too often people don’t stop to think about their driving habits (this includes speeding, texting while driving, driving under the influence of drugs/alcohol etc) until it’s too late… That doesn’t make us look like a very bright bunch at all, does it?

Canberra have the best roads in any other state here in Australia, and the worst drivers, especially when raining, as they just don’t slow down in the wet, also don’t put their lights on when it’s raining.

I just love the approach taken by the coppers here in the north west. This afternoon driving south along the Great Northern Hwy. I had a copper give me a polite flash of his high beam, just to let me know that I was pushing my luck – which at 140 I most certainly was

Not just your luck, but the luck of every person on the road. A crash at 140kph causes a great deal more damage than one at 110. The copper should’ve booked you (if he wasn’t busy doing other things).

I had a cop drive next to me at 90km/h on Canberra Ave between Fyshwick and Queanbeyan, open his window, and then through the window tells me to drive at the speed limit, nit 5km/h above. This happened about a month ago, on a Sunday.

I just love the approach taken by the coppers here in the north west. This afternoon driving south along the Great Northern Hwy. I had a copper give me a polite flash of his high beam, just to let me know that I was pushing my luck – which at 140 I most certainly was. No fuss.

p1 said :

I was overtaken by a police vehicle yesterday, while doing the limit.

Shock! Horror! See Section 305 of the Australian Road Rules.

Clown Killer said :

I think that we need to get some perspective. We’re dealing with a guy whose idea of a fun afternoon is driving around Queanbeyan and Fyshwick videoing the odd driver failing to indicate.

Hahah, true. I’m surprised he didn’t mention fog lights either – like all the Rate the Plate contributors.

Go and search on you tube for traffic footage from India or Dubai if you want to see some real traffic infringements. Really, Canberra drivers, Australian drivers or drivers from Clift Cres, Richardson are saints compared to other countries.

It’s also perfectly legal for you to merge in a Form One Lane situation without indicating.

I completely stuffed that above post with regards to quotes. It should read:

UrbanAdventure.org said :

The NT is self governing, just like the ACT is. A territory is one administered by the Federal government. A state is one that is self governed by an elected government of that that state. So technically the ACT and NT are both states, despite their names. But in practice, they are still called territories.

Actually, no, the NT and the ACT are not self governing. They operate under DELEGATED powers from the Federal Government. That’s why when either of them makes laws the Federal Government doesn’t like, they can be overridden. States, on the other hand, have the RIGHT to self governance.

If that’s not enough for you, try reading the Constitution of Australia, which for the purposes of our Commonwealth, defines what a state is, which parts of Australia are states, and what must happen to admit a new state to the Commonwealth. Given no new states have been admitted to the Commonwealth since federation, I think you’ll find that technically, you couldn’t be more wrong if you tried.

I think that we need to get some perspective. We’re dealing with a guy whose idea of a fun afternoon is driving around Queanbeyan and Fyshwick videoing the odd driver failing to indicate. I wonder why the Canberra Times hadn’t thought of doing this earlier?

No really. Its pure gold! Seriously. I was flabbergasted to see proof positive that there’s people out and about on our roads that don’t indicate! Don’t indicate FFS! Let’s not even start on the cyclist that crossed against the lights!

Boy I would have liked to have been there when they got home to edit that lot – I bet his missus even pulled the plastic covers off the sofa to celebrate!

so it isn’t fair to play the man at least a little when they have been shown to be wrong on several counts?

It seems the theory that the ACT is a hotbed of fatalities was wrong.
As was the assumption made about indicating left at roundabouts being mandatory.
and
What he “thought” was the rule about waiting for pedestrians at crossings.

I will also take this opportunity to ask if the ACT and NT are “states” why do we still only get 2 senators. I would suggest we are still Territories that have had self government bestowed on them

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy said :

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. I just thought pulling over would have been a smarter and safer thing to do. That said, getting warned for 5km/h over isn’t unreasonable.

I just remembered why you weren’t pulled over. There is a leniency of 5k’s for drivers in the ACT. If you do 5k’s over you won’t get booked, but you you do 6k’s over you will be booked for doing 6k’s over. This leniency is in effect for the fact some different tyre size can give a different speed limit.

Reply

UrbanAdventure.org said :

I’m quite amazed at the number of people who prove to argue the person instead of arguing the point. And others who forget about the disscussion at all and just pile insults on a person. Really demonstrates what a low level they want to sink to. I have a sneaky feeling I could have said my mate was from any state and people would be making up all sorts of crap about that state in an effort to argue or troll. Bit sad really. 🙁

Indeed. They’re almost as bad as those who threaten legal action for some perceived slight on a text based discussion forum.

I was overtaken by a police vehicle yesterday, while doing the limit.

If Canberra is the hotspot of traffic lawlessness, then why do we enjoy having the least number of road accident fatalities as well as the lowest average of road accident fatalities per 100,000 people?

I failed to observe even one life threatening or potentially dangerous incident in your video.

I suspect that job preservation has impacted your friend’s common sense.

Primal said :

“Then he pointed out that technically NT is now a state, which I knew anyway, but figured I’d mention it anyway.”

Nooooo. No it isn’t. In no way at all is that accurate. Can we safely presume that the rest of this article is equally wrong?

The NT is self governing, just like the ACT is. A territory is one administered by the Federal government. A state is one that is self governed by an elected government of that that state. So technically the ACT and NT are both states, despite their names. But in practice, they are still called territories.

I’m quite amazed at the number of people who prove to argue the person instead of arguing the point. And others who forget about the disscussion at all and just pile insults on a person. Really demonstrates what a low level they want to sink to. I have a sneaky feeling I could have said my mate was from any state and people would be making up all sorts of crap about that state in an effort to argue or troll. Bit sad really. 🙁

Bigger problem than people not indicating left when exiting a roundabout is the one where people indicate right when travelling straight through it.

watto23 said :

Its quite funny, because growing up, it seemed to be a common thing to say “Must be a victorian driver” everytime my parents saw a bad driver.

Mine said the same. It was usually correct too

i see speed cameras at least twice a week, and have done for years. but then, i do drive on main roads a lot and late at night on weekends, so it makes sense.

canberra drivers are spoilt because our roads are quite well maintained in comparison to most other cities in australia. however sydney drivers are angry and aggressive, tasmanian drivers don’t know how to drive when there’s more than two cars on same bit of road….etc etc.

i think there’s idiots all over the road no matter where you drive. it’s just a different type of idiot

and i second the rant about people thinking indicating gives them right of way. i was almost in really serious accident on commonwealth avenue tonight because of one such asshat. i don’t know for sure if they were purposely ignoring my car or i was in their blind spot, but either way, driving fail. people need to calm the hell down and not risk other people’s lives just for the sake of a few seconds.

Wanon said :

People. On the rare occasion you use an indicator, IT DOES NOT GIVE YOU RIGHT OF WAY!!!!! I have lost count how many times people think they can push in if they have their indicator on. Just slow down to only 5km over the speed limit and you can go in behind me, that way I don’t have to slam my brakes on because you are about to drive into my front corner.

Sounds as though you’re not observing the proper distance between yourself and the car in front, as that would have left sufficient room for someone else to move into the gap without you having to avoid a collision.

Wanon said :

Yes. Canberrans are Australia’s worst drivers.

How is this type of rant any different from any other person trying to sound important, making an unsubstantiated statement putting down others?

Yes. Wanon is Australia’s worst driver.

He is too busy ranting about things to have consideration for any other road user. Wanon, on the rare occasion you start posting on the internet about how superior you are than other drivers, IT DOES NOT GIVE YOU RIGHT OF WAY!!! etc etc.

So… no. I don’t believe Canberra has the worst drivers. I believe Canberra’s roads are probably good enough generally that people who like complaining don’t have much else to compain about so they start attacking other drivers and cyclists, pedestrians, etc.

Dome said :

UrbanAdventure.org said :

Here’s some of the video we shot:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6olC6wZQEL4

At least one video is in Queanbeyan . . .

Same shit, different smell. Queanbeyan is part of Canberra whether you like it or not.

Also if our roads had lines, that would probably help too.

Yes. Canberrans are Australia’s worst drivers.

People. On the rare occasion you use an indicator, IT DOES NOT GIVE YOU RIGHT OF WAY!!!!! I have lost count how many times people think they can push in if they have their indicator on. Just slow down to only 5km over the speed limit and you can go in behind me, that way I don’t have to slam my brakes on because you are about to drive into my front corner.

I personally blame the bad driving on the high state of origin diversity. Each state has differing road rules which make things confusing when they all come together.

Also, I don’t believe speed cameras help. Look at Queensland, they have much safer drivers but a year or two ago, they only had 2 speed cameras in the entire state, and no police vehicles were equipped with speed cameras. Although they did have irregular mobile speed camera vans.

It’s not speed that causes bad driving. It’s selfish idiots that Canberra seems to have an abundance of that make a bad and dangerous driver.

Thoroughly Smashed said :

Cletus 2 said :

And actually in the ACT I don’t think it is a requirement to indicate left when leaving a roundabout.

It’s easy enough to check these things you know.
http://www.google.com.au/search?q=ACT+road+rules
http://www.google.com.au/search?q=australian+road+rules

Yes but I don’t actually care enough about it. When I was getting my license I was told it is a requirement, then some time later I got a pamphlet saying it is no longer a requirement, and I haven’t got anything else that I can remember. Ergo I don’t THINK it is a requirement.

And it certainly isn’t enforced, so I don’t care.

Multi-lane roundabouts, when you are leaving from an inside lane, may be a different story — but it is obvious that you should indicate when crossing lane markings like that.

112 alleged offences in an hour? That’s roughly one every 30 seconds.

Somehow I find this a little exaggerated.

I don’t. I drive 6 hours a day around Canberra (and Queanbeyan) and I reckon if I had the time and inclination to document every unlawful or stupid driving action I would come up with a similar amount.

typical victorian copper, shoot first even when in the wrong.

“3 drivers who did not wait for pedestrians to clear a zebra crossing before moving on.”

this isn’t an offence in the ACT, provided the pedestrian isn’t going to be hit then you may proceed. I was of the same opinion as the copper until I helped someone get their licence up here and we had an argument about it and checked the book.

as has been shown the victorian fatality rate per 100,000 people is higher than the ACT and I am sure my home state (Tasmania) is as well as they tend to have around 70 fatalities a year for 500,000ish people

If you go looking for breaches in road rules you will find them every day. You could give out tickets al day long without stopping to catch a breath quite easily.

For once I am going to have to agree with Farq though – traffic cops don’t have friends they just have quotas.

Slower drivers have less accidents. And the accidents are less severe. These are facts.

People who drive too fast put my life and yours at risk, and deserve the penalties they get. The penalties in the ACT are pretty low, actually, so I’m surprised anyone complains.

And if you don’t want to get done by a hidden camera, don’t BREAK THE LAW. It’s as simple as that. They do slow people down, because when you get a fine, you’ll think twice about speeding the next time.

“Then he pointed out that technically NT is now a state, which I knew anyway, but figured I’d mention it anyway.”

Nooooo. No it isn’t. In no way at all is that accurate. Can we safely presume that the rest of this article is equally wrong?

UrbanAdventure.org said :

As we drove he pointed out a multitude of traffic infringements of drivers over a one hour period. These included:

* 64 cases of drivers not indicating left when leaving a round about. (yes, we went around lots of round abouts)
* 13 drivers who did not indicate when changing lanes
* 4 drivers who did not indicate when turning.
* 7 drivers not indicating when merging.
* 4 drivers using their mobile phone when driving.
* 1 driver turning against a do not enter sign.
* 2 drivers who failed to give way to pedestrians at traffic lights while turning.
* 3 drivers who did not wait for pedestrians to clear a zebra crossing before moving on.
* 6 probable cases of drivers exceeding the speed limit in a school zone.
* 2 probable cases of drivers probably exceeding the speed limit by 20 km/h, both on Hindmarsh Road hill.
* 1 cyclist not stopping for red lights. (but for two lights)
* 3 cyclists including 2 chidren not dismounting at lights.
* Countless pedestrians walking through “do not walk” signs / symbols.
* 2 seperate traffic accidents in almost the same sppot just under an hour apart.

And only 2 of those involve speeding. None of the others would be affected by speed cameras at all.

If you go to http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/roads/safety/road_fatality_statistics/fatal_road_crash_database.aspx you can get the speeding stats for all states, by vehicle type, speed limit (where recorded), day of the week, hour of the day etc.

Alternatively go to http://www.bitre.gov.au/Info.aspx?ResourceId=735&NodeId=167 and you can download this months “Road Deaths Australia” bulletin which will give you an overall snapshot.

Personally I would rather we get rid of the cameras (except where they are also red light cameras) have a few more police on the road who are more concerned with dangerous driving than with going a few k’s over the limit, and raise the limit on certain roads where it is set stupidly low.

Its quite funny, because growing up, it seemed to be a common thing to say “Must be a victorian driver” everytime my parents saw a bad driver.

The one thing I will say that Canberrans are bad at is merging. I see too many people slowing down in merging lanes and not speeding up to the new speed limit. Although i think some merging lanes are poorly marked, the new speed limit should be posted at the beginning of the merging lane not the end just before you merge onto the main road.

Also when two lanes merge why do people insist on sitting as wide out in the lane as possible, rather than merging to the middle. Orten staying out wide puts you in the blind spot.

Actually i see too many drivers not aware they are sitting in the blind spot and then wonder why, when the car cuts in front of them. Yeah it is there responsibility to check, but you have to take some blame, because sitting in the blind spot is a stupid thing to do as well. A bit of courtesy goes a long way.

NT is technically a state? How and when did this change?

Victoria is that state where you routinely get camera detected offenses for doing 63 in a 60 zone. Mean, c’mon….

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy said :

Misunderstanding, I think… I was doing 95 in a 90 zone, so yes, technically speeding. What I found surprising is that the officer didn’t pull me over for a chat, but rather started a shouted conversation through open windows at 90km/h.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. I just thought pulling over would have been a smarter and safer thing to do. That said, getting warned for 5km/h over isn’t unreasonable.

I concur. Probably born and bred in Tuggeranong.

I’ve seen Plods quickly “pulse” their lights and sirens to achieve a similar (probably superior) effect. I don’t know what their light/siren controls are like but if it’s just a simple pair of on/off switches it is probably less distracting to the Plod driver than opening the window and shouting at someone

Postalgeek said :

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy said :

I had a cop drive next to me at 90km/h on Canberra Ave between Fyshwick and Queanbeyan, open his window, and then through the window tells me to drive at the speed limit, nit 5km/h above. This happened about a month ago, on a Sunday.

If we were serious about cleaning up road safety we’d have higher quality training and testing, and we would be more pragmatic about rules violations.

I don’t know, VY. While a relatively minor infraction, you were still technically speeding (assuming you doing 90 in an 80 zone section), and sounds like you copped a simple ‘don’t speed’ finger wagging without even being pulled over. Doesn’t sound like a huge over-reaction to me.
Or are you disappointed in the quality because you weren’t pulled over? 🙂

Misunderstanding, I think… I was doing 95 in a 90 zone, so yes, technically speeding. What I found surprising is that the officer didn’t pull me over for a chat, but rather started a shouted conversation through open windows at 90km/h.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. I just thought pulling over would have been a smarter and safer thing to do. That said, getting warned for 5km/h over isn’t unreasonable.

The statement about skills and training was separate.

TP 3000 said :

But you missed a big one at 04:38 (into the Youtube video) the Police officer signalled for a white Ford Falcon to stop, but he kept on going. I would of thought this would be among one of the serious offences.

They were probably all hoping he’d arrest them.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s report ‘Injury deaths, Australia 2004–05’ (released Sep 2009) [1], in 2005 there were

ACT: 19 cases of transport-related death [2], giving an age-standardised rate of 5.9 deaths per 100,000 population

Vic: 402 cases, giving an age standardised rate of 7.9 deaths per 100,000 population

In short, in 2005, perhaps the Mexican blue heat caused more accidents than it prevented?

In case you wondered, the worst drivers were from NT, WA and Tas.

[1] http://www.nisu.flinders.edu.au/pubs/reports/2009/injcat127.php
[2] This does include causes other than vehicles on the road – they’re only 87% of the total. So conceivably Vic’s relatively higher transport fatality rate is due to train, plane and hot air balloon accidents.

I’d be lucky to see one of of the vans once a month, I have seen a slight increase in the number of police cars making traffic stops in the last month or so. It’s easy enough to drive over the speed limit and have enough time to take your foot off the accelerator to slow the car before coming into range.

I see this thing all the time, I sometimes give a “Are you that stupid” (sometimes said with other words).

But you missed a big one at 04:38 (into the Youtube video) the Police officer signalled for a white Ford Falcon to stop, but he kept on going. I would of thought this would be among one of the serious offences.

But I was disappointed I wasn’t in the video

No wonder there were so many accidents! What were they thinking putting an officer who looked like that in the middle of the road??!

Cletus 2 said :

And actually in the ACT I don’t think it is a requirement to indicate left when leaving a roundabout.

It’s easy enough to check these things you know.
http://www.google.com.au/search?q=ACT+road+rules
http://www.google.com.au/search?q=australian+road+rules

Wow… Why don’t all of you get off your high horses and give this guy a break…

He pointed out his mate is a police officer – so its kinda his job to take note of people breaking the law.

I most likely break the law every day when I get into my car – but I would still appreciate our police making a better effort to book people, perhaps pass this onto the AFP see if they care or not.

Belconnen is horrible at the moment with lots of new traffic lights, and people running the red lights – because either A – they haven’t seen there is now a traffic light there, or B – well they are idiots for not stopping for a red light. (and yes I mean RED light, not amber lights… but clearly a red light) Sadly the worse set of lights Ive noticed is only 100-200m down the road from the Police Station.

VYBerlinaV8_the_one_they_all_copy said :

I had a cop drive next to me at 90km/h on Canberra Ave between Fyshwick and Queanbeyan, open his window, and then through the window tells me to drive at the speed limit, nit 5km/h above. This happened about a month ago, on a Sunday.

If we were serious about cleaning up road safety we’d have higher quality training and testing, and we would be more pragmatic about rules violations.

I don’t know, VY. While a relatively minor infraction, you were still technically speeding (assuming you doing 90 in an 80 zone section), and sounds like you copped a simple ‘don’t speed’ finger wagging without even being pulled over. Doesn’t sound like a huge over-reaction to me.
Or are you disappointed in the quality because you weren’t pulled over? 🙂

UrbanAdventure.org said :

Here’s some of the video we shot:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6olC6wZQEL4

At least one video is in Queanbeyan . . .

I had a cop drive next to me at 90km/h on Canberra Ave between Fyshwick and Queanbeyan, open his window, and then through the window tells me to drive at the speed limit, nit 5km/h above. This happened about a month ago, on a Sunday.

If we were serious about cleaning up road safety we’d have higher quality training and testing, and we would be more pragmatic about rules violations.

My only experience of Victorian police was when one of them terrorised my eighty year old granny. I thought, “Gee, I’m glad ours aren’t like that!”

There are plenty of rude, selfish, inconsiderate drivers in Canberra, and plenty of drivers who are kind and thoughtful people even behind a wheel.

Did your friend count those who were indicating correctly? Sometimes you get what you go looking for.

OMG a video! This really is getting pathetic.

and the reason why victoria has the most horrific road toll every xmas is because??????

i find all cops (bar one, who is female) to be a boring bunch of uptight prats. they are never ‘off’ or not wanting to bust someone for something.

Woo! This list will be great to throw into the motorist vs cyclist vs pedestrian mosh pit!

Vonbare said :

In relation to unmarked speed cameras, they do nothing except fill the coffers: clearly marked speed cameras in accident zones slow traffic down effectively – which is surely the aim.

Unmarked cars are fine by me. Think of it as an idiot tax

A victorian complaining about lack of indicating? That’s a joke. And actually in the ACT I don’t think it is a requirement to indicate left when leaving a roundabout.

And pedestrians walking on red? No you never see that in Melbourne. Or speeding, or people going wrong way in 1 way streets, or talking on their phones. Your mate is doing a bang up job down there.

Not that i’m advocating speeding and what not, but:
http://www.roadsense.com.au/facts.html

Now i’m sure plenty of people can link rebuttals and counter arguments, but do speed cameras do anything other than raise revenue anyhow?

Also how many jaywalkers did you video?

Can’t disagree with you on the cyclist, if RA discussions are anything to go by, then cycling in Canberra is basically a free ticket to commit daily crimes against humanity.

I’m sorry, but where do you guys live in Canberra? Tuggeranong is seemingly over-run by speeding bogans in their noisy bogan-mobiles. Isabella drive is particularly bad – rare is the day when I don’t witness very high-speed activity on that piece of road; people fly past me, and I sit on the speed limit of 80. The aforementioned bogans never seem to indicate, swerve in and out of lanes, tail-gate and generally create havoc on the roads. I would LOVE there to be some unmarked police cars along this strip of road.

Vonbare said :

Well, I guess for all those infringements you didn’t see any accidents, so we can’t be all that bad at driving 😉

In relation to unmarked speed cameras, they do nothing except fill the coffers: clearly marked speed cameras in accident zones slow traffic down effectively – which is surely the aim.

As stated in the first posting we saw two accidents almost in the same spot. The second one occoured almost an hour after the first. It was a three car and one motorcycle pile up. 🙁

Here’s some of the video we shot:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6olC6wZQEL4

Speeding fines are voluntary… if the Government chooses to put marked, unmarked, mobile, stationary etc… to raise revenue, then so be it…

Does your Victoria cop friend do kids birthday parties? he sounds like the life of the party….

Anyone who thinks there are no unmarked cars in Canberra, and who BREAKS THE LAW BY SPEEDING, is in for a rude shock. In the last week I’ve twice seen unmarked cars pulled over on the side of Gungahlin Drive (between Mitchell and Palmerston), lights flashing, having frank discussions with frustrated looking folk.

Gungahlin Al – yeah, saw the same on Barry Drive/Belconnen Way about a month back – first you’d see the Big White Van as you come up over Black Mountain, then one motorcycle cop with a radar at the bend/intersection with Fairfax St, then another just before the GDE bridge. Had to chuckle as I’d driven that way into the city first so knew they were all there, and could watch the speed up/slow down behavior of the others around who’d been lulled into the false sense of security by the passing of the B.W.V.

Have to agree with Fiona, though yeah, it’s a little racist, but I’ll sing along happily with Avenue Q on that count, if I see those blue DC number plates, I give them a wiiiide berth.

Wow,
what are you and your friends doing for new years?
I think we should get together and PARTY!!!!!!!!

Well, I guess for all those infringements you didn’t see any accidents, so we can’t be all that bad at driving 😉

In relation to unmarked speed cameras, they do nothing except fill the coffers: clearly marked speed cameras in accident zones slow traffic down effectively – which is surely the aim.

I quote from the ACT road rules:

“IF PRACTICABLE, a driver driving in a roundabout must give a left change of direction signal when leaving the roundabout.”

I hope your friend was only counting the giant roundabouts – on the tiny single lane affairs in the suburbs this just looks silly and creates confusion.

And I hardly think a Victorian can talk – driving around Melbourne’s southern suburbs I was shocked by the way drivers were constantly driving two abreast – where there was ONLY ONE LANE MARKED! To me this is a far more serious infringement than failure to indicate when leaving a roundabout.

Fiona said :

I’ve never seen a “speed comera ahead” sign in front of a speed van.

Is it racist if I say that those with diplomatic plates are the worst drivers on Canberra’s roads? And that the children on the p-plates are to be avoided at all costs?

I think there’s too much of a mix of drivers in Canberra to call everyone “Canberra drivers”. Too many people who learned to drvie elsewhere.

Yep. Pretty much. Although not racist, I would say, more “blinkered”. If they didnt have big blue plates that pretty much advertise “look I am from overseas” you wouldnt know any different. I have been driven by a large number of Diplomatic drivers, and I can say that most are excellent drivers, and law abiding.

If ya take the blinkers off, you will see that many people break the law of all genre and age. Although I would have to argue with the friend of the blogger, in that most of his points raised, are not dangerous in the act of doing so (ie not indicating when there are no other cars around for several hundred meters), they are an issue because they can lead to potential dangerous situations. Having said that, they are unlawful acts.

A week or so back on Horse Park Drv near Harrison, they had two bikes and one camera van spread over several clicks. So anyone thinking they’ve been past and can speed up again…

On the whole, Canberra drivers are no better or worse than anywhere else.

Speeding isn’t really a huge issue, usually everyone just goes with the flow which is fine.. there’s enough cameras to catch the standout idiots not paying enough attention.
(unmarked cameras are just for raising revenue and punishing people after the fact – not slowing people down there and then)

People on mobiles.. did you notice the car next to you? No.. didn’t think so.

As a born and bred Canberran living in Melbourne for the last 2.5 years I disagree with your friend. I rarely see mobile speed vans here (and while they are unmarked they are still easily identified). Due to the geography of canberra, it is much easier to target arterial roads and efficiently catch people.

There are tons of fixed cameras on the freeways but they don’t seem to have much of an effect in my opinion, save for the cameras in the domain/burnley tunnels.

I have driven 50km east/west every day on the M1 and monash for 2 years now without a ticket so I have no reason to complain about the cameras.

When I worked at the airport and lived in Theodore, I regularly saw speed camera vans parked on the Monaro Highway, trying to nab those who only slowed down for the cameras.

The most common apot they parked at was southbound on the left side about 50-100m after the traffic lights for the Hume Hilton. That’s about 150-200m after the speed limit changed from 100 to 80, so presumably it was easy revenue.

Pfft. If you don’t want to get in trouble, all you have to do is obey the rules. It isn’t actually difficult.

I feel significantly safer commuting by motorcycle in Sydney (or Melbourne, on the rare occasions that I’m there) than Canberra. After living in Canberra for 25 of my 30 years, (including learning to drive there) this has been quite the revelation.

Wow, this guy sounds a like a ball of excitement and yes there are already a crapload of cameras in Civic and also to the north.

There are always a couple of speed vans around but usually on the same roads – so if you don’t travel them you wouldn’t see them.

Outside of speeding and drink driving the penalties are irrelevant. In the 12 years in Canberra I’ve never heard of anyone being booked for any of the other infringements listed above.

I call troll. everyone knows that traffic cops don’t have any friends?

I think I could come to similar observations in most cities of Australia. Victorian speed enforcement margins that are used – are I believe tighter than anywhere else in the country.
That being said, ACT Policing is under-resourced compared with other states in Australia. This may give people a sense they can stretch the boundaries somewhat.
Cheers

I think the ACT should turn into a police state like in Victoria including:

Unmarked speed camera cars as in SA, Victoria.

Take down all fixed speed camera signs as in Victoria.

Conceal fixed speed cameras behind road signs, as in Victoria

Jail people using mobile phones and GPS units whilst driving.

Shoot 1st, drivers who do not indicate when they turn-off round-a-bouts as they are a danger to society.

Interstate pigs should keep their snouts out of our business. At least our police dont
routenly shoot our citizens. oink oink oink all the way home.

I’ve never seen a “speed comera ahead” sign in front of a speed van.

Is it racist if I say that those with diplomatic plates are the worst drivers on Canberra’s roads? And that the children on the p-plates are to be avoided at all costs?

I think there’s too much of a mix of drivers in Canberra to call everyone “Canberra drivers”. Too many people who learned to drvie elsewhere.