Beware, new Council scam!

[colcol]

There is a new sneaky Council scam going on at the moment in my area [Heidleburg] involving dropping off children at schools.
Apparantly there is a sign for designated drop off area for schools and anyone outside the zone are photograhed by a sneaky council worker and prosecuted.
What i have been told is the school crossing attendant signals the council worker who sneaks up behind the car and with a camera hidden behind the flouro vest takes the photo.
It has happened to my niece's Father and Aunty, it is usually in the morning dropping off the kids, there is no sign saying that you can't do this sort of thing, the designated drop off zone is usually full, so do you form a kilometre long line causing a traffic jam and do the logical thing and drop the kids off in a non designated zone.
Councils are known for their petty ways of dealing with things, but this is something that is not causing any problems, but the councils have to find ways of funding a new fleet of Prius's, new council chambers or fact finding overseas trips to holiday resort.
Imagine if you would let local councils have money camera's, they would drop the speed limits to 30 kmh and have money camera's in every street.
As ever the R.A.C.V. that great motorist's organization are on to it, and any time in the next few years, their spokesman, Mr. John Shiny Bum, will put out a statement supporting the councils safety measures.
Might be something the newly elected Honary member for Parliment, for The Motorists Enthusiests Party would have a look at, Colin.

[Barry Edmunds]

Just one more reason why local government should cease to exist. There is not one reason in the whole wide world why Australian taxpayers/ratepayers needs, afford, or can justify the continued funding of the incompetence and excesses of these ego driven despots who should all disappear into the obscurity they so richly deserve.
Eventually the grubby money stealing antics of these councils will get the better of them and they will be forced to concentrate solely on the functions that they are supposed to attend to; cleaning streets, picking up garbage, fixing potholes. Well they would if we had some state politicians with the intestinal fortitude to take local government head on and dismantle this monument to excess without delay.
People such as the council workers() doing their bit to raise even more revenue for their masters from the milking cow motorists are only doing this job because they can't get a real job outside their usual sheltered workshop-like environment.
Barry

[Steve S]

So it is illegal to park (legally) and get out of your car?

[aggie57]

Watch out for the 2-minute parking zones outside many schools in Booroondara. With the council spy sitting in the ark next door writing down registrations. Serious. It's crap.

[colcol]

Dad and Aunty stopped the car to let her out, would have taken 30 seconds to let her out of the car and go, why do we let councils rip us off like this?, because we are all too busy trying to earn a living to pay for rubbish like this, do you want to hire a legal mouthpiece for a day to contest a glorified parking fine, the council know you don't, thats why they get away with it, Colin.

[TFJ100]

I've taken my parking tickets and a couple of red-light tickets to court (on principle).

The bastards wouldn't let me take my speed camera ticket to court because they left me off by mail (I didn't even ask). I almost wrote back telling them that I refused to accept them letting me off so I could have a go.

50% success from a demerit point perspective and 100% from getting off the fines.

No lawyers required, just a bit of research prior to the appearance.

If we all did it, the courts would soon be overwhelmed and they'd have to figure out a new plan to carry out all the prosecutions.

The judges are actually very supportive of people having a go.

Torben

[extraball]

my wife fined 300 bucks earlier this year, for dropping our daughter at school. Fair-cop that she did stop in a no stopping zone, but 300 bucks? The bill came, and they had the address wrong of the school, they inserted the address of a different school 4 suburbs away. We appealed it, but they had photo evidence. Councils are petty government, leaches upon homeowners, and often struggle just to collect garbage.

[Steve S]

I've taken my parking tickets and a couple of red-light tickets to court (on principle).

The bastards wouldn't let me take my speed camera ticket to court because they left me off by mail (I didn't even ask). I almost wrote back telling them that I refused to accept them letting me off so I could have a go.

50% success from a demerit point perspective and 100% from getting off the fines.

No lawyers required, just a bit of research prior to the appearance.

If we all did it, the courts would soon be overwhelmed and they'd have to figure out a new plan to carry out all the prosecutions.

The judges are actually very supportive of people having a go.

Torben

So you were falsely ticketed? If not I'm curious to the details.

There is the most ridiculous parking zone outside my house "1P VFL game days only". Nowhere is there any information on the sign or at the footy oval or at the council as to what an AFL game day is let alone which days they are. I have gotten off every one.

[colcol]

You have to understand that local councils are parasites, that they make their money from petty things like dropping kids off in a no drop off zone, just who is the victom from dropping your kids off here?, no one, they don't even have signs advising off such terrible criminal activities, such as dropping kids off to school, so if i drop off someone outside their house, is that a terrible crime?.
What is really annoying is trucks in suburban streets at 3 am using their engine brakes to slow down waking up a hundred people or a dog barking all night keeping twenty people awake, but councils don't act on this because motorists are easy targets, Colin.

[extraball]

I bought a device from ebay, that emits a high frequency sound to deter barking dogs. The neighbours 2 dogs used to drive me nutz, but this little 5 buck device sends them running after 1 click (looks like a remote). They seldom bark at our side our their yard, bloody brilliant!

[Duk]

What goes around, comes around. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j18DDm3h08I

[colcol]

The pencil necked geek at the top of the council who though of these get rich quick schemes doesn't have to deal with all the flack, its the council worker hiding in the bushes at the school and the lady who has to count all the 5 cent coins, but they are all employed in which there is nothing being produced or a service given, just a way of getting money for us.
Personally when i get a speeding or parking fine as soon as possible as when you prolong it, it extends the pain of being stooged by a Goverment department, Colin.

[Evan Bottcher]

I'm going to have to start a 'grumpy old men' forum board 

[Duk]

The pencil necked geek at the top of the council who though of these get rich quick schemes doesn't have to deal with all the flack, its the council worker hiding in the bushes at the school and the lady who has to count all the 5 cent coins, but they are all employed in which there is nothing being produced or a service given, just a way of getting money for us.
Personally when i get a speeding or parking fine as soon as possible as when you prolong it, it extends the pain of being stooged by a Goverment department, Colin.

At the end of the day, it is up to those who execute these ridiculous tasks of hiding in bushes and photographing cars being parked to drop kids off at school. It's exactly the same for Police who agree to go out and rack up their required tally of defect notices and B.S. speeding fines.
Unfortunately there are always weasels who work there way up ladders, who instigate this sort of thing and always have a knack of spotting the (relatively) easily manipulated, self righteous little prats, who thrive on doing the dirty work.
When people who are out there delivering this sort of B.S. stand up and say 'NO!', then things will change.
When the person who is at the Council Office front desk tells their boss that they will leave the pile of shrapnel fine payment on their (bosses) desk to sort out, then messages get planted in the minds of the weasels that their actions are inappropriate.
The council workers just need to return empty handed, regardless of what their bosses want. Simply saying that they only saw people doing the right thing. Same said for the Police people who only found perfectly legal cars and people obeying the traffic laws............

[colcol]

One year in Victoria, part of a police pay rise agreement was the rollout of more money camera's, [ to pay for the extra money? ], but most of the mobile money camera's are operated by public servants, [ most likely on double time on a Sunday ].
The council workers would have their quota of pictures to be taken, as opposed to kids not being runover qouta.
Goverments and Councils are shifty, they need your money, they will find a technical way of getting money out of you, because they have commitees to decide these things, Colin.