Here's some minor stuff I see;

1) Cyclist cruising on the footpath on StKilda Rd, Melbourne. Extremely wide road, extremely wide footpath and roll-on grass against footpath... Minding his business... Female copper in her car (on her own) tries to nab him... Sirens blarring, she gets past him, and hard left turn onto the footpath to block him... he has room, casually rides around... she reverses back, and tries maneuver again... He jumps left into bumper to bumper traffic in Toorak Rd, GAME OVER. Cyclist wins! What was the cop thing! Disturbing the peace to be honest... Smart cyclist will always win... 6pm and Friday... That was this Friday just gone.

2) Bunch of teenagers climbing down the Bird Rock Cliffs... Jan Juc... Plenty of signs... Rocks in their heads!... No fines.

3) People driving and viewing smart phones... see it all the time.


I think Item 3 is the biggest crime, of that set... I have seen all 3 within 3 days...
To be honest, I think police need to increase their under-cover squad car patrols, and openly police this problem.

Unless the cyclist was a wanted man for some reason I can't really see the point in stopping him if he was causing no danger to anyone else.

The third point I totally agree. Here in NSW they have just upped the fines, now you can't even touch your phone while driving, unless it's in a hands free mount, yet on my small 10km drive to work I still see on average 3 people talking on their phone every day. Do the cops not give a ****? I mean honestly if you drove around in an undercover cop car, of which there are many in my town, for a mere 5 minutes you'd have a field day and make the roads arguable a safer place. Trying to book a cyclist for apparently riding on the footpath, not so much.

^^^^TOOL

I use to ride all the time. Cars are to big these days.

The Average car is 200-300mm wider.
That alone is half the min a rider needs. Roads are alot busier, more idiots on the road.
Large 4wds are 1/3 of cars. I have plenty of riders in Pine Rivers - the roads just are not big enough.

Tools are people who jump to the front of lights and hold up all the cars only to be overtaken again force traffic to swerve and repeat at the next set of lights.

If riders followed the rules, I and many would not have a problem, just the few that tarnish the majority.

TheWolf said...

Mobydisc said...
If caught, there is the presumption of guilt with the issuing of a fine to be paid to the state.

No, there is not. If you choose not to admit guilt (by payment of the infringement) then there is a requirement that the issuing officer prove you commited the offence to the satisfaction of a magistrate

If there is no presumption of guilt every alleged offense should go before an independent arbiter before any penalty is given. Of course this is unworkable given the width and depth of the number of offenses that are punishable by the issuing of a fine. As time goes on the depth will deepen and the width widen, nesseciating the increasing automation of the penalty systems.

Mobydisc said...
If there is no presumption of guilt every alleged offense should go before an independent arbiter before any penalty is given.

It does. They are called a magistrate.
Or, if you do not contend your guilt you can elect to expiate the offence rather than be prosecuted.

^^^ I am not saying that it is right.

I am saying that failing to stop for the copper is also wrong, and does not make him a hero just cos he disagrees with the helmet law.

Can all the people who disagree with the mobile phone law also just flout it?

TheWolf said...

Mobydisc said...
If caught, there is the presumption of guilt with the issuing of a fine to be paid to the state.

No, there is not. If you choose not to admit guilt (by payment of the infringement) then there is a requirement that the issuing officer prove you commited the offence to the satisfaction of a magistrate

For free or do you have the threat of paying court costs if you lose?

Basically you have to take a day off work one way or another if you work business hours on weekdays. There are no weekend or after hours courts.

So for most hard working Australians its very difficult to contest an alleged offense in court. Of course most working Australians are unfamiliar with court processes and many would be afraid of representing themself before a magistrate.

This is what the fine system counts on. Ninety nine times out of a hundred its easier to just pay the fine. They are set at a level where its just easier to pay it. If the fines were really expensive, ie twenty thousand dollars for speeding 10 km/h over the limit, then they would be counter productive as people would contest the fines and magistrates would probably side with defendents.

So they are set at a level which raises considerable revenue and most people just pay it, just like any other tax.

This doesn't really affect me personally. I don't drive much nowdays as I walk to work and also walk to the shops. Just drive every now and then to get to the water or a social event. However even then its not hard to see all those damn speed cameras all over the place.

Mobydisc said...
...... Just drive every now and then to get to the water or a social event. However even then its not hard to see all those damn speed cameras all over the place.

^^ Alternatively, it's not hard to drive within the speed limits...

youngbull said...

Tools are people who jump to the front of lights and hold up all the cars only to be overtaken again force traffic to swerve and repeat at the next set of lights.

Tools are drivers who dangerously overtake cyclists on narrow sections of road when they know the traffic is stopped 200m further ahead.

Mobydisc said...
Basically you have to take a day off work one way or another if you work business hours on weekdays. There are no weekend or after hours courts.

So for most hard working Australians its very difficult to contest an alleged offense in court. Of course most working Australians are unfamiliar with court processes and many would be afraid of representing themself before a magistrate.

This is what the fine system counts on. Ninety nine times out of a hundred its easier to just pay the fine. They are set at a level where its just easier to pay it. If the fines were really expensive, ie twenty thousand dollars for speeding 10 km/h over the limit, then they would be counter productive as people would contest the fines and magistrates would probably side with defendents.

So they are set at a level which raises considerable revenue and most people just pay it, just like any other tax.

This doesn't really affect me personally. I don't drive much nowdays as I walk to work and also walk to the shops. Just drive every now and then to get to the water or a social event. However even then its not hard to see all those damn speed cameras all over the place.

Excellent points.
I heard in Japan there are stupidly high fines for drink driving, like a mandatory $10,000 and a year in the slammer, consequently no one drink drives in Japan so for serious things big penalties work effectively at stopping offenses and not just raise revenue.

cisco said...
The Law is an Ass.

I forget who first said it but it is a universal truth.

charles dickens' character mr.bumble, when suggested to him that the law presumes his wife to be under his control: “If the law supposes that,” said Mr. Bumble,… “the law is a ass—a idiot. If that's the eye of the law, the law is a bachelor; and the worst I wish the law is that his eye may be opened by experience—by experience.”

more damning of marriage than anything else...