Police crackdown on Jaywalkers

[crawf]

Step out of line and you'll be fined
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/step-out- ... 6215621942

Daniel James chose the wrong moment to cross the narrow Leigh Street against a red light. Picture: Dean Martin

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.

[crawf]

Jaywalking on King William, Grenfell, Pulteney Streets and North Terrace etc can be dangerous and should be discouraged. But this just reeks blatant revenue raising and waste of police resources, targeting a laneway that carries little traffic and a speed limit of 25kph is seriously SERIOUSLY ridiculous. I've crossed Leigh Street plenty of times on a red man and I'm sure I am far from alone on here. The fine cost doubling in a space of 12 months, is also criminal.

Instead of focusing on petty crap, focus on things that are much more important. Like a safer city during day and night.

[Nathan]

Not just that Leigh St is a thin lane, but it's the closest street we have in the city to a shared use street - it's meant to be pedestrian friendly.

[rhino]

Blatant revenue raising, in most cases. The red Don't Walk man appears on the Pulteney Street intersections about a minute before the traffic light goes yellow. You have plenty of time to cross the street, cross back, and cross it again before the traffic light changes. Instead, you're expected to wait there for a whole cycle to go through. How about making the pedestrian crossings more pedestrian friendly?

[[Shuz]]

It'd be a lot easier if everyone who recieved a jaywalking fine this week, told the police to stuff themselves. That'd show 'em. The police wouldn't want to deal with a backlog in the system trying to chase them all up. Quite frankly, Australian society has been far too willing to bend over and say yes siree to all the nanny state laws, and no-one is actually willing to fight against it. You might say that Europe (Greece, England, France, et. al) are in a state of social disorder at the moment, but at least people have the balls to stand up for common sense. I'm not suggesting we throw rocks and start riots, but we just simply say no to jaywalking fines and put the police back into looking after issues that matter most - like burglary, rape, murder, etc.

[Wayno]

yeah right, tell an Officer to f@(k himself and see what happens - lol

The fines are too steep. $50 would effectively send the message and avoid the govt being labeled as revenue raising.

Would also be good if pedestrian crossing were synched with traffic lights. Grenfell St is a classic example, cars are stuck at red traffic lights while the nearby ped xing is still in 'don't walk' mode. sigh

[rev]

Trust me Shuz, what's going on in Greece is not people standing up for a common cause.
The protests(& riots) are largely the left wing unions and radical left wing parties trying to preserve their entitltements, whereas the average Greek citizen is accepting of austerity because it's necessary, and is demanding more reforms and hopefully things will change for the better.
You do NOT want to see those sorts of scenes in Australia.

This jay walking this is obviously blatant attempts by the Police to meet their quotas.
However, it is the law, and they aren't doing anything wrong or going over board by enforcing the laws.

[crawf]

Not just that Leigh St is a thin lane, but it's the closest street we have in the city to a shared use street - it's meant to be pedestrian friendly.

Good point.

[mokeystyley]

Trust me Shuz, what's going on in Greece is not people standing up for a common cause.
The protests(& riots) are largely the left wing unions and radical left wing parties trying to preserve their entitltements, whereas the average Greek citizen is accepting of austerity because it's necessary, and is demanding more reforms and hopefully things will change for the better.
You do NOT want to see those sorts of scenes in Australia.

This jay walking this is obviously blatant attempts by the Police to meet their quotas.
However, it is the law, and they aren't doing anything wrong or going over board by enforcing the laws.

Re: Beer Garden

Postby rev » Mon Nov 28, 2011 9:08 pm

I can't stand these idiots who think they have a right to preach to others regardless of if others want to hear them or not.
You should see how I treat the jehovas witness door knockers. The last time they came, was about the third time in two weeks they'd knocked on my door. I told the two guys to just wait a minute I had something in the oven. Put a balaclava on and burst out the side from the house with a baseball bat yelling and swearing at them..they ran off down the street.
Kid you not now, they have not bothered me since. I guess they figure I'm far too gone for their unwanted help.

Re: #UC: Adelaide metropolitan water pipeline interconnects

Postby rev » Sat Dec 03, 2011 8:30 pm
I just merge when there's room. If there's no room, I create it. It's called an accelerator. Whereas most imbeciles on the road slow right down to 30-40, completely oblivious of traffic behind them, regardless of if there is or will be room.

The issue I was trying to highlight but failed miserably, was the people who ignore the signs 500m(for eg.) before the road works, that the lane they are in is closed ahead, but continue on anyway speeding past everyone in the correct OPEN lane, and when they get to the roadworks hit their indicator and expect everyone else to let them in.
I never let them in, and if I notice anyone else thinking of letting them in, I beep the horn and yell like a lunatic till they move up.

... it appears we do see these kinds of scenes in Australia!

[SRW]

Not just that Leigh St is a thin lane, but it's the closest street we have in the city to a shared use street - it's meant to be pedestrian friendly.

Bugger me, I'd always assumed that it was actually a shared zone. It's designed as one, and ought to be in law.

[rev]

Trust me Shuz, what's going on in Greece is not people standing up for a common cause.
The protests(& riots) are largely the left wing unions and radical left wing parties trying to preserve their entitltements, whereas the average Greek citizen is accepting of austerity because it's necessary, and is demanding more reforms and hopefully things will change for the better.
You do NOT want to see those sorts of scenes in Australia.

This jay walking this is obviously blatant attempts by the Police to meet their quotas.
However, it is the law, and they aren't doing anything wrong or going over board by enforcing the laws.

Re: Beer Garden

Postby rev » Mon Nov 28, 2011 9:08 pm

I can't stand these idiots who think they have a right to preach to others regardless of if others want to hear them or not.
You should see how I treat the jehovas witness door knockers. The last time they came, was about the third time in two weeks they'd knocked on my door. I told the two guys to just wait a minute I had something in the oven. Put a balaclava on and burst out the side from the house with a baseball bat yelling and swearing at them..they ran off down the street.
Kid you not now, they have not bothered me since. I guess they figure I'm far too gone for their unwanted help.

Re: #UC: Adelaide metropolitan water pipeline interconnects

Postby rev » Sat Dec 03, 2011 8:30 pm
I just merge when there's room. If there's no room, I create it. It's called an accelerator. Whereas most imbeciles on the road slow right down to 30-40, completely oblivious of traffic behind them, regardless of if there is or will be room.

The issue I was trying to highlight but failed miserably, was the people who ignore the signs 500m(for eg.) before the road works, that the lane they are in is closed ahead, but continue on anyway speeding past everyone in the correct OPEN lane, and when they get to the roadworks hit their indicator and expect everyone else to let them in.
I never let them in, and if I notice anyone else thinking of letting them in, I beep the horn and yell like a lunatic till they move up.

... it appears we do see these kinds of scenes in Australia!

I don't get it..are you having a go at me, or are you really comparing what happens in Europe to traffic/driving issues in Adelaide?

This is what I was referring to when I said you don't want to see those scenes in Australia, btw.

[Waewick]

wouldn't it be good if the police one day cracked down on things like car theft, burglary or muggings instead of things that involve those able to pay a fine.

[Will]

wouldn't it be good if the police one day cracked down on things like car theft, burglary or muggings instead of things that involve those able to pay a fine.

To be fair to the police, the rates of these sorts of crimes in Australia are quite low compared to the rest of the world. Thus, the police have to do something with their time.

It reminds me of what my driving instructor said to me years ago "country cops have nothing else to do than pull you over for speeding". This also applies to the city to a certain degree.

[Waewick]

wouldn't it be good if the police one day cracked down on things like car theft, burglary or muggings instead of things that involve those able to pay a fine.

To be fair to the police, the rates of these sorts of crimes in Australia are quite low compared to the rest of the world. Thus, the police have to do something with their time.

It reminds me of what my driving instructor said to me years ago "country cops have nothing else to do than pull you over for speeding". This also applies to the city to a certain degree.

yes we do. but has that got anything to do with police?

the crimes that annoy me most, is grafitti and vandalism or basic pointless destruction really. frustrates me that we have raised people that feel the need to destroy other peoples assets.