31 August 2011

Thanks RiotACT! (Road signage compliance win)

| Sgt.Bungers
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Thanks to anyone who may have spread the word regarding my campaign to have speed limit signs in the ACT comply with Australian Standards. The ACT Gov apparently got wind of this, hence I received a call from a rep at Roads ACT last week stating the audit was under way.

I had previously sent media releases to the CT in recent weeks with no response. So I contacted Noel Towell directly, a journalist at the canberra times, and ranted my point of view across to him. Hence the article in the paper today.

Thanks also to all those who’ve posted comments on my site (both positive and from those who disagree).
The important thing is, the issue I’ve been trying to raise is well out in the open now. Canberrans are talking about speed limit signs and Australian Standards… something that rarely happens… if ever 🙂

Hopefully, the result will be the ACT Government feeling pressure to get it’s act together once and for all when it comes to implementing speed limit signs and zones. Something that should’ve been done well before even the first speed camera van hit our streets 10 odd years ago.

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So what happens if the signage is misleading? Surely the government cannot say the speed limit is 80 and then fine you because the limit is 60.

Failure of a sign to comply with an Aust Std will NOT give you a defence to a strict liability offence, such as speeding.

However, if you could prove that the sign did not comply with an AS and it contributed to you causing an accident (eg: it didnt properly warn of an upcoming danger, such as a crossing, it meant you were travelling too fast for the road etc) then it is entirely possible (note the ‘possible’) that the ACT will be found to be negligent to some extent and thus partly responsible for the accident in terms of payment of damages. Probably minimally – 15% or so – but there have been cases in other states, particularly involving dirt roads, where there were severe accidents due to people not realising the road changed to a single lane or there was a steep curve because of poor signage.

KeenGolfer said :

steveu said :

Great work!!!! I guess the number of cases lost in court – or reappearing in court may have been incentive enough for them to take notice!
Outstanding!

Your guess is just that, a guess, and one that’s completely incorrect. Traffic offences (such as speeding) are mostly strict liability. That means you just because you didn’t know the speed limit on that road or didn’t mean to break the speed limit is no defence. There are potential defences but a crooked sign or similar is not one of them.

That doesn’t mean a thing when it comes to taking a matter to court. If you get a TIN, regardless of what it is for, your entitled to take the matter to court. Wether your successful or not comes down to the point you made above (ie ignorence is no excuss), but the initial court appearance will still happen just by telling the officer of your intentions.

steveu said :

Great work!!!! I guess the number of cases lost in court – or reappearing in court may have been incentive enough for them to take notice!
Outstanding!

Your guess is just that, a guess, and one that’s completely incorrect. Traffic offences (such as speeding) are mostly strict liability. That means you just because you didn’t know the speed limit on that road or didn’t mean to break the speed limit is no defence. There are potential defences but a crooked sign or similar is not one of them.

Incidentally, has anyone seen the new 40 signs in the Woden Town Centre? It boggles my mind that they’ve somehow managed to place both of the signs on the southern part of Corinna St in the only two places where they’d be partially obscured by tree branches!

2620watcher said :

I’d like to know why Canberra airport’s big green signs above Pialligo ave are in their ‘corporate’ font, rather than the normal font used on these big signs?

Does it mean that if I pay for the sign I can choose the font? Wingdings here I come!

Take a look when you next drive past.

I’d go with Comic Sans, myself.

Does the review include the distance speed signs are placed after turning onto an adjoinging street? I find I have little time to notice the speed signs (which are often only 10m or less into the start of street), when I am busy watching other traffic, pedestrians and landmarks, checking my rear view mirror.

Mozzie said :

Thanks Sgt.Bungers. The speed signs in the ACT give me the %@#$s

But why stop at speed signs. Road signs in general and especially especially the recent ones are terrible in the ACT.

The sign you were standing in front of in the Canberra Times is an excellent example. It has 10 lines of information that drivers must distill as they drive past. The most prominent information is the directions for the Gorman Arts Centre (whatever that is). The Casino and Convention Centre which are arguably far more important are half the size.

Then there is the farcical signage at the Glenloch Interchange, which I’m pretty sure featured on Riot Act recently…. It’s like making signs in the ACT has been delegated to 8 year olds.

Surely there is some Australian standard for other signage that the government could follow as best practice instead of wasting taxpayer money on confusing people as they currently do.

Interesting you mention Glenlock, has anyone notice the exit sign for the Tuggeranong Parkway when heading east on William Hovell? The last sign before the exit says the exit is 500m away, when in reality the start of the exit is actually just around the corner, which is closer to 250m. I would also imagine the one further towards Belconnen that says 1km is probably closer to 700m too. I also would have though considering the fact the exit is right after a semi blind bend going under a bridge the exit sign would have been more geographically correct (they just show a straight line with exit vering off at about 60′)

BTW SGT good onya for taking a stand and I hope you ignored the fxxxwhits whining about you, to me they are the ones that need to get a life.

Great work!!!! I guess the number of cases lost in court – or reappearing in court may have been incentive enough for them to take notice!
Outstanding!

Stop signs in canberra – it’s like they have a quota of give-way signs to randomly replace with stop signs. Case in point, corner of Burke Cres and Leichardt St Kingston. There are also give way signs which really should be stop signs, eg: intersection of Melbourne Ave and Tennyson.

The sign leading up to the airport on pialligo ave. Why is the airport sign so small? http://anony.ws/di-AAM6.jpg

being a little cynical, I wouldn’t celebrate until the outcome of the review is seen.

The Antichrist said :

well done Sgt Bungers. You deserve a promotion to Major Bungers 🙂

Point of order – the appropriate promotion for an NCO like SGT Bungers is to Warrant Officer.

I suppose everyone should have a hobby.

Once they’ve fixed the speed signs, you could see if they’d audit the national route / national highway number badges on signs – many of them are completely wrong (eg. take a close look at the signs at the Barton Highway / Federal Highway / Northbourne Avenue intersection).

Mozzie said :

Thanks Sgt.Bungers.

The sign you were standing in front of in the Canberra Times is an excellent example. It has 10 lines of information that drivers must distill as they drive past. The most prominent information is the directions for the Gorman Arts Centre (whatever that is). The Casino and Convention Centre which are arguably far more important are half the size.

Sgt Bungers,

Great article and photo in the CT – well done1

The irony of the photo is of course the mistake in the sign behind you. “Gorman Arts Centre” is actually called Gorman House Arts Centre – they left out the “House”, even though everyone in Canberra calls it that, and there was room on the sign to write it!

Talking of Gorman House, the other day I drove through the intersection of Limestone Avenue and Ainslie Avenue, and there was a new sign there pointing to Gorman House, which read: “Gorman House Art’s Centre”!

And that was one minute after driving past Truscott Street in Campbell, at its intersection with Fairbairn Avenue near the AWM, where a street sign for Truscott Street had been erected which was only printed on the one side – even though its two sides were facing the traffic! Is the ACT the only jurisdiction in Australia that prints its street signs on one side only?!

Thanks Sgt.Bungers. The speed signs in the ACT give me the %@#$s

But why stop at speed signs. Road signs in general and especially especially the recent ones are terrible in the ACT.

The sign you were standing in front of in the Canberra Times is an excellent example. It has 10 lines of information that drivers must distill as they drive past. The most prominent information is the directions for the Gorman Arts Centre (whatever that is). The Casino and Convention Centre which are arguably far more important are half the size.

Then there is the farcical signage at the Glenloch Interchange, which I’m pretty sure featured on Riot Act recently…. It’s like making signs in the ACT has been delegated to 8 year olds.

Surely there is some Australian standard for other signage that the government could follow as best practice instead of wasting taxpayer money on confusing people as they currently do.

I’d like to know why Canberra airport’s big green signs above Pialligo ave are in their ‘corporate’ font, rather than the normal font used on these big signs?

Does it mean that if I pay for the sign I can choose the font? Wingdings here I come!

Take a look when you next drive past.

The Antichrist7:36 pm 31 Aug 11

well done Sgt Bungers. You deserve a promotion to Major Bungers 🙂

“Thanks to anyone who may have spread the word regarding my campaign to have speed limit signs in the ACT comply with Australian Standards. The ACT Gov apparently got wind of this…”

Captures everything there is to say about the ACT Government.

There are many places where its not actually 50 but its not signed. Took them over a year to add the 100 sign at the border on the Barton Highway after they put the “50kmh unless otherwise signed” up.
So it was 50 up until near Hall ? According to the ACT signs at least.

screaming banshee6:16 pm 31 Aug 11

I’ll start by making it clear that I haven’t read the article, or reading in to the detail of how the signs are failing but I got the gist that it’s mostly speed signs and roadworks signage that are the issue.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I didn’t think it was signage like that shown on the front page that was the issue. Given the recent exposure [snigger] of the leggy UN Woman and the memorial on here, did you have any input as to the setup of the photo?

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