Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Operation Reliant commenced in February 2012 in response to increased bicycle traffic in Sydney’s CBD and the development of dedicated and shared bicycle paths.

Ozkaban wrote:The police can do a blitz on whatever they want. I'll give them a friendly wave as I ride past, like the vast majority of cyclists who aren't breaking the law.

Ozkaban wrote:The heading is pretty offensive and I wonder how many cyclists they 'interviewed' to find the two nut jobs who said the fine would not be a deterrent.

AUbicycles wrote:If this was about motorists then this would be the headline:

Police put the squeeze on frustrated Sydney motorists

Is anyone surprised by this type of reporting?
They turn 1% into 50%.

AUbicycles wrote:If this was about motorists then this would be the headline:

Police put the squeeze on frustrated Sydney oranges

Is anyone surprised by this type of reporting?
They turn 1% into 50%.

Ross wrote:I always thought the fine was the same for a cyclist or a motorist running a red light. Why would it be different?

diggler wrote:I have no problem with the headline or the article. It doesn't say all cyclists are arrogant. It is saying these cyclists who believe they are above the law are arrogant. I think that is fair enough.

diggler wrote:I have no problem with the headline or the article. It doesn't say all cyclists are arrogant. It is saying these cyclists who believe they are above the law are arrogant. I think that is fair enough.

PEDESTRIANS beware - step on to even the narrowest city street at the wrong time and you'll be fined.

Travel manager Daniel James found out the hard way last week when he was slapped with a $102 fine for stepping on to Leigh St - a one-way alley that is less than four metres wide - on a "red man" pedestrian signal.

In the four steps it took Mr James to cross the street the man had gone green, but that didn't stop an officer issuing him with a fine.

"I guess in the eyes of the law I am in the wrong, I did place my foot on the road when there was a `red man' on display," Mr James said.

"But in this particular location, with no traffic and crossing a street four paces wide, surely the common sense rule should apply.

"It is not like I was sprinting across King William St or a major thoroughfare.

"This had nothing to do with road safety, just taking an advantage of a location where 99 out of 100 people do the same thing." Eastern Adelaide police are conducting a 16-day blitz of pedestrian behaviour in the CBD.

The Advertiser witnessed two officers issuing fines to pedestrians yesterday.

The last time they conducted Operation Amble, in early October, police issued 161 fines to pedestrians for either crossing against a red light at an intersection, or crossing dangerously in between crossings - an average of 13 a day. There is no specific offence of jaywalking, but several offences exist in relation to walking without regard to other road users.

The fine is $42, plus a $60 Victims of Crime Levy.

At the same time last year the fine, including the Victims of Crime Levy, was $55.

Police did not answer The Advertiser's question about whether Mr James' fine was reasonable. But Superintendent Anthony Fioravanti, officer in charge of Eastern Adelaide Local Service Area, said pedestrians were vulnerable road users. "Our focus will be on the major pedestrian intersections in the CBD which carry high volume pedestrian traffic, which also places many pedestrians at risk of serious injury when they cross the road against the red signal," he said.

"Road safety is everybody's responsibility, and that includes pedestrians."

There have been 16 pedestrians killed on SA roads this year and 74 pedestrians have received serious injuries as a result of crashes.
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/step-out- ... 6215621942" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Police target jaywalkers in city blitz

Police have issued more than 3000 official warnings to jaywalkers in the past two days - and say that from now on, there'll be no excuses.

- Crackdown on jaywalkers
- On-the-spot fines
- Lives at risk: police

From tomorrow, $57 on-the-spot fines will be handed out to those caught ignoring `don't walk' signals and crossing outside marked lines.

The blitz is part of a police operation named 'Don't Do Your Dash', which is aimed at reducing risky pedestrian behaviour in Melbourne's CBD. Just over 3300 people have already been issued official warnings.

"This is a serious issue and excuses such as `I'm running late' or `Everyone else was crossing the road' are simply not good enough," Acting Superintendent Paul Pottage said.

In the past 12 months, there have been 223 accidents involving pedestrians in Melbourne's CBD and according to police data, the pedestrian was at fault in 56% of cases.

"People don't seem to understand that they're risking their lives every time they cross the road against the red man or dart between cars," Acting Superintendent Pottage said.

"We're going to continue to target pedestrian behaviour until people get the message, and anyone seen doing the wrong thing will be fined."
http://www.theage.com.au/national/polic ... z2E8DBLWaN" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Xplora wrote:Embarrassment for the paper. They wonder why their circulation declines... anyone with half a brain can see through such drivel.

Ross wrote:I always thought the fine was the same for a cyclist or a motorist running a red light. Why would it be different?

zero wrote:The police have discretion to use less than minimum number of penalty units on an infringement notice, which they might do in a blitz where the purpose is mostly education.

If some of those cyclists subsequently elect to have their matters heard at court, they might find a judge more inclined to hand out the proper number of penalty units in a fine.

george-bob wrote:

Xplora wrote:Embarrassment for the paper. They wonder why their circulation declines... anyone with half a brain can see through such drivel.

Unfortunately people with more than half a brain wouldn't pick up the tele in the first place!

zero wrote:

Ross wrote:I always thought the fine was the same for a cyclist or a motorist running a red light. Why would it be different?

The police have discretion to use less than minimum number of penalty units on an infringement notice, which they might do in a blitz where the purpose is mostly education.

If some of those cyclists subsequently elect to have their matters heard at court, they might find a judge more inclined to hand out the proper number of penalty units in a fine.

il padrone wrote:Another aspect of selective reporting then, as the Smellograph reporter quotes police as saying they only handed out $66 fines to cyclists, while the fine for motorists was $324 plus loss of points. This is patently either incorrect and/or a matter of police using some discretion.