14 August 2008

Where is the Accident report plane when you need them?

| Peter Holland
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As I left home this morning, tuning into 2CA, there weren’t any reports re any problems on the roads. when I got onto the parkway, surprise, surprise, there was a massive one. Funny thing is, there wasn’t even a mention by the “sky ranger” (or whatever they call him). Now, I can’t get the FM stations on my original radio in my car, but I am pretty certain that none of them would have mentioned the accident in the right hand lane on the parkway.

What is the point of an accident-and-problems-on-our-roads report, when the reporter (in a plane – canberra isn’t that big, surely) is far more interested in what is happening to queanbeyan traffic, canberra avenue and near the airport etc, as opposed to letting people know that the parkway is crawling along, with fire, ambulance and police trying to get through.

If I had known that there was a problem, I would have avoided that direction, and possibly made it easier for the emergency services people to get to the accident. As it was, I left home at 08.40, got to work at 09.01.

Perhaps we will hear more about the accident later in the day. It did look pretty serious.

Rubberneckers: for god’s sake, pay attention to what the traffic is doing, not what is happening on the side of the road. If you want to watch what is happening, having another accident whilst looking at the poor souls involved is a sure way to be able to watch at your leisure.

Oh, and I didn’t mind the motor bike riders cutting down the emergency lane today, but the guy who thought the gap between the left and right lanes must have got a massive surprise when he got to the accident. The accident was across the lanes….

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Davo111 said :

Heavs said :

I hope you had some tissues in the car.

+1

oh, thanks davo111,

thanks for your concern. No, i didn’t….

But seeing that an average trip for me on the parkway is 10mins, (start complaining now, everyone) it was a surprise to be stuck in traffic. I felt sorry for the poor souls in the accident, and the people behind me. They were joining the congestion, that they could have avoided.

Heavs said :

I hope you had some tissues in the car.

+1

The traffic plane is still about I hear it overhead every morning. As people said above they get infor from a variety of sources, the plane, the AFP and people calling in.

I take the parkway every morning, 21 minutes is an extremely quick time. The only time I can do that is when there is no traffic at all! You’re in a real traffic jam on the parkway when you’re in it for an hour as has happened to me a couple of times. Today I was lucky enough to hear about the accident in the carpark at about 8.45am.

No doubt the motorcyclist cutting down the middle just cut back in front of someone, I nearly knocked a moron rider off today as he went down the emergency lane and cut back in at an off ramp. Somewhat disappointed that my reaction time is good enough to avoid him.

News Radio has a traffic report every 30 mins from around Australia. I think they use the ATN as mentioned above.

It’s pretty interesting hearing the differences from city to city. Sydney obviously always has its problems, but Brisbane always gets a lot of air time as well.

There’s usually a mention of Canberra every morning. They had the Tharwa Dr crash on there yesterday afternoon.

As long has things haven’t changed in the past few years, 2CA doesn’t own the Cessna. It’s owned and operated by the Australian Traffic Network.

They’ve got one guy in the plane and one guy on the ground. ATN provides traffic updates for 2CC, 2CA, 104 and MIX, as well as 666. The guy in the plane is probably doing the reports via radio for the AM’s (by the sounds of things they haven’t changed the system in years), and the guy on the ground does it live on a fixed line for the FM’s.

People do ring up from time to time but ATN gets most of their information from the cops. Plus it’s fairly easy to guess exactly where there’s going to be a lot of traffic ie. GDE southbound, Monaro Highway, Majura Ave and Northbourne.

If it’s during breakfast or drive, all the radio stations will usually pick up on major accidents pretty quickly, coz the police talk to them too.

Hope that clears things up 🙂

Oh and even if you do call, it generally doesn’t make it on the air for at least 20-30 minutes… sometimes congestion has eased by then… I never bother ringing the radio station anymore.

104 used to say they had a Cessna, but I’ve noticed lately they’ve stopped saying it…. they do say the “Police report….”

I passed the accident (southbound) before the emergency services got there, very soon after it happended as the traffic was not backed up more than 100 meters. However, i heard the 2CA traffic report only a few minutes prior, the penultimate for the morning. Maybe the plane went back for fuel? I would have called in the accident but I don’t have the number

barking toad1:25 pm 14 Aug 08

Primal #13

I too would like to know more about this gay apparatus

Can’t have come cheap judging by the months they’ve had workmen there – some operating machinery, some working, many watching

BenMac said :

I was pointing out that if i knew the accident was there, I would have avoided the parkway, making it easier for the Emergency services personnel to deal with the accident.

If this is the case, did you then do the Emergency Services a favour and call 2CA to tell them about the crash to pass the info on? Probably not.

what, whilst i was driving, with police cars around me?

not a good idea, I really don’t need to receive a fine for being a good samaritan. I did my bit, I let a heap of cars exit in front of me from the right lane into the left lane prior to the accident site.

I was paying more attention to what the guy in front of me was doing, if i was calling the radio station, there might have been 2 accidents on the parkway. I don’t use my phone in my car, I don’t answer it. I wait until i am at my destination before checking voicemail.

I hope you had some tissues in the car.

While we’re bitching about traffic problems, what the hell is that distraction that has just been installed north of the Yarra Glen roundabout??? Traffic south was crawling yesterday evening while everyone was looking at what appears to be a lost bit of GDE artwork.

For those who haven’t seen it, it’s basically a big green pole with yellow arms on top of it that spin around like the hands of a demented clock.

I always thought it was a fake plane. The traffic report on 2CA is useless, the only bit that is clearly audible is the ad at the end.

There is no 2CC traffic helicopter. It is faked right down to the sound effects.

It be christened as the Lin Miaoke helicopter.

Geez threads like this really get my f**king goat.

When I heard about the accident I wasn’t concerned about being late, or rubberneck people staring at the crash,traffic plane, or even people riding up the side lanes.

My first thought was a hope that it wasn’t a member of my family.

My second thought was that i hope whoever it is is ok.

Being a little late for work is nothing compared to the likely trauma being faced by the accident victims or their families.

My god what a shallow society we live in these days.

Not having a go at anyone personally, but the nature of this thread and others like it really gives me the s**ts.

Rant ends…

I was pointing out that if i knew the accident was there, I would have avoided the parkway, making it easier for the Emergency services personnel to deal with the accident.

If this is the case, did you then do the Emergency Services a favour and call 2CA to tell them about the crash to pass the info on? Probably not.

Woody Mann-Caruso said :

Where is the Accident report plane when you need them?

On the FM channels you don’t receive.

I am pretty certain that none of them would have mentioned the accident

You wouldn’t know, because you don’t receive them.

Seriously – you just wrote 300 words about a problem that doesn’t exist. Stay tuned for next week’s effort – 300 words on how you didn’t know rump was on special at Woolies because you throw out your catalogues, but you’re pretty sure it wouldn’t have been in there anyway.

at least it isn’t about a depressing topic. I would prefer to be bagged out about a traffic plane than read some of the other forums out there, some of my other registered forums seem to be in meltdown about the economy, companies going bust, etc, etc.

and didn’t someone post that article about not receiving catalogues yesterday??

Woody Mann-Caruso10:45 am 14 Aug 08

Where is the Accident report plane when you need them?

On the FM channels you don’t receive.

I am pretty certain that none of them would have mentioned the accident

You wouldn’t know, because you don’t receive them.

Seriously – you just wrote 300 words about a problem that doesn’t exist. Stay tuned for next week’s effort – 300 words on how you didn’t know rump was on special at Woolies because you throw out your catalogues, but you’re pretty sure it wouldn’t have been in there anyway.

I know 104.7’s ‘Timesaver traffic’ is mostly based on tips, but don’t they also claim to have a plane?

Is there actually a real traffic report aircraft in Canberra? I’d always assumed that the radio stations just pretended to have one, and actually based the traffic reports on phoned in tips.

shanefos said :

It onlt takes you 21 minutes to get to work when the traffic is banked up on the Parkway due to an accident??? Diddums!

FFS!…

Shanefos, I was pointing out that if i knew the accident was there, I would have avoided the parkway, making it easier for the Emergency services personnel to deal with the accident. If we are to have an accident report plane, buzzing overhead all morning, perhaps it should actually be focusing on accidents. Or 2CA could have a phone ranger system, so that others can be advised to avoid the area.

As I would prefer to not add to the congestion when there is an accident, any of the other routes i could have taken would have taken longer, but at least it could have been sorted out quickly.

It onlt takes you 21 minutes to get to work when the traffic is banked up on the Parkway due to an accident??? Diddums!

FFS!…

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