Fake Road Sign......

[ltd_on20s]

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574...31-421,00.html

POLICE have been left red-faced after a someone erected a fake road sign to ease traffic in a Sydney suburban street.

Hundreds of motorists are believed to have been fined for ignoring the sign preventing vehicles from turning into Albert Rd at the intersection of Beecroft Rd, Beecroft.

Police said they were lenient towards motorists when the sign first appeared but complaints from residents about the potential danger to a nearby school zone led to a crackdown on drivers.

The Roads and Traffic Authority has removed the sign and the office responsible for collecting fines is promising to reimburse wrongly booked motorists.

Eastwood police commander Peter Marcon said a number of drivers were fined and slapped with demerit points on their licenses for disobeying the sign.

"I want to reassure them we are looking into the matter," Superintendent Marcon said.

"I have been informed by the State Debt Recovery Office that all tickets issued at this intersection will be investigated and those incorrectly fined will be reimbursed the monies for the fine and the lost demerit points."

Mill of Sydney Police, the RTA and the State Debt Recovery Office are searching databases to identify those booked at the intersection for disobeying the sign.

Supt Marcon urged anyone wrongly fined to contact the police or State Debt Recovery Office.

Police say they are treating the matter seriously.

"We are investigating the origins of the sign, who may have put it there and why," Superintendent Marcon said.

The State Debt Recovery Office can be contacted on 1300 138 118.



LOL :

[EDManual]

i hope they will pay for lost jobs, pain and suffering for people who had to lose their houses etc etc...

[ILLaViTaR]

Originally Posted by EDManual

i hope they will pay for lost jobs, pain and suffering for people who had to lose their houses etc etc...

Don't forget the nuclear war victims of this tragic event....

[vztrt]

Hmmm, if I see a sign that says not to turn left I tend to not turn left. If I did disobey a sign and get pinged then I know I was in the wrong.

Fake or not if the people that were pinged had have actually followed the road rules they wouldn't have been fined.

[ltd_on20s]

Originally Posted by vztrt

Hmmm, if I see a sign that says not to turn left I tend to not turn left. If I did disobey a sign and get pinged then I know I was in the wrong.

Fake or not if the people that were pinged had have actually followed the road rules they wouldn't have been fined.

sweet.

let me know you adress, ill come and put some up at both ends of your street, and you accept the fine that you get daily.

agreed?

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by ltd_on20s

sweet.

let me know you adress, ill come and put some up at both ends of your street, and you accept the fine that you get daily.

agreed?

Go wild, I have plenty of different ways in my street.

Originally Posted by blueoval

excuse my ignorance, but what was the purpose of someone putting it there in the first place? What benefit was it? or was it just a joke?

Apparently the residents had been trying to get the sign up for 20 years, it was meant to reduce congestion. So someone put them up and motorists ignored the sign, then the residents asked to police to enforce the signs.

[ltd_on20s]

Originally Posted by vztrt

Go wild, I have plenty of different ways in my street.

ill put it just before your driveway.

can you not see that it is an ILLEGAL sign?

1. illegal sign
2. people taking law into their own hands
3. innocent people getting fined


your okn with this?

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by ltd_on20s

ill put it just before your driveway.

can you not see that it is an ILLEGAL sign?

1. illegal sign
2. people taking law into their own hands
3. innocent people getting fined


your okn with this?

What was done wasn't the correct way of doing things. But sooky motorists that were bitching about being fined when they disobeyed the sign is what annoys me.

Originally Posted by ltd_on20s

and? the sign was'nt legal.

so the police should have told them to get stuffed until a legal one was erected.

The Police were fooled because it looked real. The didn't even know it was illegal.

[ST]

Originally Posted by ltd_on20s

ill put it just before your driveway.

can you not see that it is an ILLEGAL sign?

1. illegal sign
2. people taking law into their own hands
3. innocent people getting fined


your okn with this?

I love how you put 'innocent' people getting fined in there . If the police and community did not realise for quite some time it was fake the sign must have looked legitimate, been placed logically and followed general traffic rules.

Therefore people have blatantly ignored a sign presumed legitimate at the time, which is extremely ignorant and deserves no sympathy. I'd like to see all the people who lost their cars, income, houses etc. because of this sign. You do realise if there is anyone who actually fits this description (probably not due to exaggeration from the media) they would have comitted offences prior to this, in which case they should have been cautious and obedient of ALL road rules. Who risks losing everything over one sign they are unsure of?

I certainly don't agree at all with somebody illegally erecting a traffic sign, but with the police and local council enforcing it the sign must have looked very legitimate. In which case you'd be an idiot for ignoring it.

[ltd_on20s]

Originally Posted by vztrt

Apparently the residents had been trying to get the sign up for 20 years, it was meant to reduce congestion. So someone put them up and motorists ignored the sign, then the residents asked to police to enforce the signs.

and? the sign was'nt legal.

so the police should have told them to get stuffed until a legal one was erected.

[Dave R]

I hate people that cannot follow simple road rules, whether the sign was fake or not, they were none the wiser so they may as well have been disobeying a legit sign. Not even police knew it was fake so don't tell me random motorists knew better.

[XR6_661]

Originally Posted by vztrt

Hmmm, if I see a sign that says not to turn left I tend to not turn left. If I did disobey a sign and get pinged then I know I was in the wrong.

Fake or not if the people that were pinged had have actually followed the road rules they wouldn't have been fined.

I totally agree.

[blueoval]

excuse my ignorance, but what was the purpose of someone putting it there in the first place? What benefit was it? or was it just a joke?

[Ross-b]

Originally Posted by blueoval

excuse my ignorance, but what was the purpose of someone putting it there in the first place? What benefit was it? or was it just a joke?

seems pretty funny to me

Originally Posted by 4Vman

I agree with this, the issue is not if the sign should have been there or not, that's a separate issue, the thing that sticks out for me is that motorists disobeyed it.... AND got caught just like every other road infringement...

in this case said motorists knew better

when i was doing on a lesson on my ls
i slowed down from 60 to 40 because of a roadworks sign
there were no roadworks. never were and there was no intention of it
was obviously a prank
my instructor told me to use my commonsense because there were obviously no roadworks
if you know the road
and u see a sign pop up over night
and we all know the council workers (or whoever Erects these signs) dont work that quick and especially at night

then use your common sense and do the right thing

and dont tell me
ohh where does it end ect ect
because i said to use common sense not disobey signs because you think its dumb

Originally Posted by yzfr101

Yes they should, of course.


Are you taking the ?

I think we are forgetting the most important factor in this story. There are people out there that are thinking "**** the RTA, **** Vicroads, I know better than all of them" and are going about ignoring road sign directives. Very disturbing, not to mention downright dangerous.

They should be held accountable for their actions

how do you know the mindset of the people?
refer to above section of post

[NEEDspeed]

You guys get on your soap boxes about Harold Scruby and the like "taking away our liberties"....but I get a sense from these types of threads it seems the enemy is closer than you think. You cant go both ways and expect people to respect your posts.

As I see it, a bitter resident put up a fake sign. Regulars to the area knew it was bogus, but the police attending had revenue on their minds and now the mistake is being rectified. Big whoop! But on here theres a 3 page (Edit: 4 now) argument about who was in the wrong. Meh. Get over yourselves.

[Raptor]

I heard this on the radio this morning and agree totally with what vztrt is saying.

Motorist drove contrary to the sign - they cop a fine.
That seems reasonable to me.

Or is it ok for a motorist to decide whether or not they think the sign is appropraite or legal or should have been there or not?

I drive through a school zone each work day that is 6 lanes wide, has little traffic at that time and clear visibility. There are no parked cars or driveways and NEVER a student to be seen. This is largely a result of it being a 'special' school of some kind where all the students arrive by car/bus/taxi and are then fenced in. Is it ok for me to decide I don't need to slow to 40kmh as there is no risk to anyone and the sign is a nonsense?

I can't imagine that standing up in court.

More power to whoever put up the sign I reckon. I'm all for a bit of public disobedience in the name of common sense. Just no point whinging about it if you then get a slap on the wrist.

[ltd_on20s]

Originally Posted by Raptor

I heard this on the radio this morning and agree totally with what vztrt is saying.

Motorist drove contrary to the sign - they cop a fine. Seems reasonable to me.

Or is it ok for a motorist to decide whether or not they think the sign is appropraite or legal or should have been there or not?

I drive through a school zone each work day that is 6 lanes wide, has clear visibility, no parked cars or driveways and NEVER a student in sight. Is it ok for me to decide I don't need to slow to 40kmh as there is no riak to anyone and the sign is a nonsense. I can't imagine that standing up in court.

we are not talking about whether you feel like doing the speed limit or not when a LEGAL sign is up.

should taxpayers, who pay for those signs, EXPECT the true and correct ones be up all the time? why should they have to deal with fake signs?


motorists should NOT have to decide whether it is legal or not. they shouldnt have to deal with it in the first place.

when the police were asked to enforce a sign, by residents, that anyone with common sense would realise that is not really in relation to it's surroundings, they should have checked.

i don't think i have ever read anywhere that you have to follow made up rules and regulations.

[Raptor]

Originally Posted by ltd_on20s

....motorists should NOT have to decide whether it is legal or not.....

That's my point exactly. The motorist would not have known at the time whether it was a legal sign or not so should have been obeying it anyway.

Originally Posted by ltd_on20s

....police were asked to enforce a sign, by residents, that anyone with common sense would realise that is not really in relation to it's surroundings, they should have checked....

The police were enforcing the sign so what makes you say that anyone with common sense would realise that it is not really in relation to it's surroundings. Did all those police not have any common sense (possible) but their job is to enforce the rules (as they believe they apply), not decide if they make sense.

Are you one of the ones to be fined

Originally Posted by ltd_on20s

....you have to follow made up rules and regulations.

Hey, they are all made up by someone and plenty of them don't seem to make much sense. :

[ltd_on20s]

Originally Posted by Raptor

That's my point exactly. The motorist would not have known at the time whether it was a legal sign or not so should have been obeying it anyway.

if a police officer came up to you and asked you to do something you knew was illegal, would you still do it because he said, "it's the law, i know better"? would you obey it, you know, anyway?

(no i am not saying police do this...)


[/QUOTE]The police were enforcing the sign so what makes you say that anyone with common sense would realise that it is not really in relation to it's surroundings. Did all those police not have any common sense (possible) but their job is to enforce the rules (as they believe they apply), not decide if they make sense.

Are you one of the ones to be fined :[/QUOTE]

no, i'm in adelaide, we already have the worst drivers's lol

and really, how could you not know something was'nt right when cars were coming UP AND DOWN the two way street.....

[/QUOTE]Hey, they are all made up by someone and plenty of them don't seem to make much sense. :[/QUOTE]

can't fight that point.


my whole point from the start though was the immense issues that have occured by someone being and idiot by erecting this sign in the first place.

but seeing drivers should obey all signs no matter what, guess some people will now make up some 80km/h signs for port road and anzac highway........

[4Vman]

Originally Posted by ltd_on20s

if a police officer came up to you and asked you to do something you knew was illegal, would you still do it because he said, "it's the law, i know better"? would you obey it, you know, anyway?

..

That's nothing like this situation.

[blownv8au]

Originally Posted by Raptor

I heard this on the radio this morning and agree totally with what vztrt is saying.

Motorist drove contrary to the sign - they cop a fine.
That seems reasonable to me.

Or is it ok for a motorist to decide whether or not they think the sign is appropraite or legal or should have been there or not?

I drive through a school zone each work day that is 6 lanes wide, has little traffic at that time and clear visibility. There are no parked cars or driveways and NEVER a student to be seen. This is largely a result of it being a 'special' school of some kind where all the students arrive by car/bus/taxi and are then fenced in. Is it ok for me to decide I don't need to slow to 40kmh as there is no risk to anyone and the sign is a nonsense?

I can't imagine that standing up in court.

More power to whoever put up the sign I reckon. I'm all for a bit of public disobedience in the name of common sense. Just no point whinging about it if you then get a slap on the wrist.

more power to them, that sounds like endorsement to me

[Auslandau]

Quite possibly .... and no one here knows the real facts on what was going on and where it was ..... the sign hasn't been erected by the authorites because there were reasons one shouldnt be put there?

Its like me putting a 'proper' sign at the start of my street (court) saying that no RH turn between 9.00 till 5.00 on a Sunday because I like the peace and quiet? Then ringing the police and saying people are ignoring it?

People may have ignored it and got fined but who here can say that it was in an appropriate area and what the whole story behind it is? Police just enforce the law, whether its resonable or not ..... Of course the fines should be revoked if found to be wrong. I can't see it any other way? Where was the sign put? Was it obstructed by a tree or just in a stupid spot? Facts would be great before condeming those that got pinged.



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[whynot]

Had a similar experience not far from where I live. A local developer had to do substantial road works for a new housing estate, which took about six months. In addition to the temporary 40km/h sign, they erected some permanent 40km/h sign (in a 70 km/h zone). The police would occasionally have a radar trap in this section.

After the road works were completed, all of the 40 km/h signs were removed; except one. It took a few emails to the state member to agree; yes, the sign should not be there, yes, the sign will be removed, and yes, we have removed the sign.

I felt like a goose, but, because the area use to be policed, I would still slow down to 40 until that sign was removed.

If I was a random driving down the street with the no left turn, I, along with 99/100 other members of this forum, would; a, swear; and b, not turn left.

How am I to judge if the sign is legitimate or not?

I image that there would be interesting police enquiries in Albert Street. By the looks of the maps, I guess that someone was trying to cut down on some rat running.

[XR Martin]

Bah, no right turns are a PIA, if there is no or little traffic behind or oncoming, then im going to turn.
They are generally there to keep traffic flowing, if there is no risk of any traffic hold up from the right turn, then there shouldnt be a problem.
If I get pinged, ill pay it, but that doesnt mean ill accept it.

[XR Martin]

Interestingly they have called it a 'fake roadsign', rather than a sign which an council/RTA worker has put in the wrong spot, which is more likely.

[ltd_on20s]

Originally Posted by XR6 Martin

Interestingly they have called it a 'fake roadsign', rather than a sign which an council/RTA worker has put in the wrong spot, which is more likely.

"POLICE have been left red-faced after a someone erected a fake road sign to ease traffic in a Sydney suburban street."

[Dave R]

Now you're just grossly exaggerating.

[ltd_on20s]

Originally Posted by Adrenaline

Now you're just grossly exaggerating.

who is?

[FPV+fteT3]

Who reads speed signs? mearly a suggestion made by someone with a bowls hat on aren't they...........lol...

[flappist]

Hmm, A lot of people really don't understand this.

The people who were fined DID NOT BREAK THE LAW. The sign was wrong. Whether they knew that or not was irrelevent.

Remember ignorance is no excuse for breaking or obeying a law.

There is a 70km/h sign up here that is next to a caravan park and is stolen/knocked over on a very regular basis. When it is not there the speed limit is still 70 not 60 nor 100. I know that it is a 70 zone and I have checked with the appropriate people to ensure that the sign is not the final designator, doing over 70 would be illegal.

Fake speed limit signs are not uncommon in large car parks and "trendy" estates. They are like the "Vehicles will be towed" signs. All bark no bite.

There was a (\\) sign put up on a road close to me recently (pic in another thread) instead of a 100. It lasted about 2 weeks. Do you really think I could have got away with 220km/h (which of course I would never do)?

There are far too many sheep driving on the roads (and posting on this forum).