Saturday, 1 August 2009

Another fund-raiser for the Queensland Labor Party

12 comments:

Rat E Sem said...

That's right. This would never happen under an LNP government!!!!

Al said...

Not sure what your angle is here Mike, it's a simple concept; keep you vehicle roadworthy or cop the penalty. Anything wrong with that?

Fred Nerk said...

Come on Mike! Our road toll is a disgrace and its time for all of us to lift our game. This sort of stuff isn't party political and is probably supported by both sides of politics. How could it not be?

Sir Humphrey said...

DEAR ALL,

I think the point of the exercise is the backhanded reference to recent circumstances where everything is a party political fundraiser! My own view is that the cost of patrolling and enforcing our increased multiplicity of fines and laws outway the actual income gained so are an overall loss. How about a novel idea - piss off the collection agency mentality and actually maintain the road network to a satisfactory standard? You could then also fund a defensive driving course for every child coming to age in the state. I think that would be more useful than this ridiculous spiralling orwellian police state that we are currently creating.

nocturnal congress said...

How about raising the driving age to 25? Fairly recent research has shown that the brain is still "developing" until around 25 or so, so it makes sense...and make yearly medicals compulsory for drivers over 50.

Rat E Sem said...

Gee, "Thornton On Spence"I thought my point was obvious. Sorry if you can't work out the cynicism and irony and the dash of sarcasm.

Rat E Sem

Sue E said...

Just a thought. I know some vehicles spend a lot of time off road and damage to number plates can occur but surely there is a question of “mercantable quality” where number plates are losing their paint, fading or whatever. When you register a vehicle you are paying for the plate that is issued. If plates are in some way faulty through manufacture ie. not up to the standard for the purpose of which they are made, I have a problem with consumers having to pay to replace, what is in effect, a faulty product. I assume of course that one has to pay to replace these number plates.

Govenment Pleb said...

it seems that even other government departments are now having to pay for seminars, previously free and run by the Department of Planning and Infrastructure.
An invitation came across our desktops this week for one such seminar, a head charge now of $55pp.

Hence, this year, for the first time that I can remember in about 15 years, no one in our dept. will be in attendance.

Lillian at Yorkeys said...

A simple answer to faded/damaged number plates - go to the newsagency & and a buy a permanent green texta, & paint back missing colour. Leave to dry, do another coat if you will. If you're really feeling Virgoesque, then you can coat the whole lot with an expoy varnish.
On another complete tack re road toll etc - I think the whole motor industry & tyre manufacturers, 4WD industry etc etc have a role here: there is constant mention of a very blokey aspect of "high performance, V8 power, high torque ratios, 0 to 250 ks in five seconds & so on". In the larger sense I am suggesting that all this performance/action/I have the fastest car {therefore biggest willie?} & so on, is very much a male ethos. And the car & tyre companies build on that male longing to be the biggest, best & most dominant in the pack.
Most women, {apart from a few lady petrol-heads of my acquaintance} just want a car to get from point A to B without stopping, so they can get on with their day.
I am generalising I know. I have also noticed an alarming tendency amongst young women in small cars zooming in & out & tailgating something shocking. I think this is where Sir Humph's idea of defensive driving courses above, comes in. However, I think a few of us oldies could do with the same as well.
And apart from defensive driving, couldn't these courses also include Polite Driving ie. teaching people Road Manners?
Back to my point - the V8/zoom/performance advertising ethos. Yes, what I am suggesting is to challenge the 'male action hero in a car' stereotype, & somehow make safe driving 'sexy'. Now how you do that, is another thing, & I might just leave it to the blokes on the Blog to work on that one, although I dare say Constance Lloyd & a few other of the ladies might have a sane word to say on the topic.

John, Kuranda said...

Lillian

What I find very interesting is the construction of the actual roads themselves. In Darwin, high wet season rainfall, the roads are bitumen with gravel imbedded and rolled. This is designed to allow water to settle on the bitmen but still allow tyres to grip on the higher gravel.

Sounds sensible, and similar to some of the roads in your fair Yorkey's Knob.

But then we have the Kuranda Range Road which is tarmac smooth. The slightest bit of rain and it becomes as slippery as, well, certain Cairn Regional Councillors. Certainly unsafe.

I have been told that the bitumen is smooth to save on the tyre wear of motorists as they take the corners up and down the range. Personally I would happily trade a bit of wear for a bit of grip.

Al said...

I always thought that defensive driving was something we law-abiding sensible drivers learnt to protect (ie defend) ourselves from the petrol headed hoons, ratbags, tail-gaters, and sheer suicidal with whom we share the roads each day. We will always need a police presence (overt and covert) to catch the aforementioned. I'm all for more cameras too. And put two in a row so that when those dickheads coming the other way flash their lights to warn you; wallah! caught by camera number two! A camera fine recovery for the state's economy is fine by me, I won't be contributing.

Think On This said...

Faded number plates are very dangerous - I don't think. The fine is ridiculous. Like registration label fines.
Someone fined for these oversights may find they hold off on repairing urgent car safety issues as they don't now have the money.
To save lives, I feel there is no substitute for a defensive driving course being obligatory before anyone gets behind a steering wheel. I did one 30 years ago, I think it was run by the RACQ, before I started driving, and I still remember (and use) things from it that would save lives now. A lot of it is really simple stuff, but get it wrong, and you and others could be dead.