is it too easy to get a truck or bus license?

[Jerry_Atrick]

Well done, Red for getting your independence back. 

[old man emu]

11 hours ago, Marty_d said:

Now the best thing to do would be to have an "80 ahead" sign at the bottom of the hill so that, without braking,  the car would naturally start to slow down and have the 80 sign about 400m later.

I'm noticing more and more of these notices of "Lower speed limit ahead" signs along the highways I drive on. Maybe that's a NSW thing.

 

Red's observations of other drivers' behaviour is an example of what I said about drivers making a decision about the appropriate speed at which to travel. Leaving a good gap between your vehicle and the one ahead makes for more relaxing driving. Imagine the heart rates and adrenaline levels of those "speed demons". Naturally you will find that these "Hares" are young persons who have not gained the experience from years of driving in urban traffic. Accepting that hareing along gains nothing is something that has to be learned, despite all out attempts to pass that knowledge onto our juniors.

 

I've come up with a pretty reliable method to set a reasonable gap between me and the car in front in speed zones up to 80 kph. Get back far enough so that you can see the V-shaped space between the left hand external mirror and the body of the car in front. 

[spenaroo]

On 17/06/2023 at 9:46 PM, old man emu said:

As a giver and receiver of speeding fines, I can say that  receiving an infringement notice in the mail, weeks after the event, is no way to change a driver's behaviour. The motto of the NSW Police Force is the Latin Culpam poena premit comes ("Punishment follows closely upon the heels of crime"). Punishment is the method mankind uses to direct behaviour along the correct lines. Would anyone of us suddenly impose a punishment on our child two weeks after the behaviour that was wrong?

 

During my training in Highway Patrol duty, I was told that the role of the HWP was to improve driver behaviour. Maybe that is now considered an old fashioned ideal, but I found that putting into practice where possible made the onerous task of law enforcement worthwhile. I know that some misguided police adopted a Gestapo-like approach to the job and it was said of them that they would book their own grandmother. In my opinion, that type wasn't worth a policeman's boot strap. 

can we all agree that the problem is the highway patrol no longer wear leather boots and pants...
I mean where is the authority, the sign of being a specialist in their field

[spenaroo]

20 minutes ago, old man emu said:

I'm noticing more and more of these notices of "Lower speed limit ahead" signs along the highways I drive on. Maybe that's a NSW thing.

 

Red's observations of other drivers' behaviour is an example of what I said about drivers making a decision about the appropriate speed at which to travel. Leaving a good gap between your vehicle and the one ahead makes for more relaxing driving. Imagine the heart rates and adrenaline levels of those "speed demons". Naturally you will find that these "Hares" are young persons who have not gained the experience from years of driving in urban traffic. Accepting that hareing along gains nothing is something that has to be learned, despite all out attempts to pass that knowledge onto our juniors.

 

I've come up with a pretty reliable method to set a reasonable gap between me and the car in front in speed zones up to 80 kph. Get back far enough so that you can see the V-shaped space between the left hand external mirror and the body of the car in front. 

this is something I have a big issue with,

I think the continual raising of the age for learners is completely wrong. these are supervised drivers.

and we are taking it out of the most teachable years. ask any coach and they will tell you a 16 year old is far more malleable then an 18 year old.
and putting the P plates right at the age they are discovering alcohol, nightclubs and dealing with exams and adulthood is just asking for trouble. you want them to have a good understanding of the basics before they reach that stage.

[Bruce Tuncks]

I liked hearing about how the poms are more civilized than we are here in Australia. When I was there ( only 3 days I admit ), I especially liked the polite signs " Please do not park here" etc. So keep it up Jerry, you might even make me a monarchist but I doubt it.

[red750]

2 hours ago, old man emu said:

I'm noticing more and more of these notices of "Lower speed limit ahead" signs

[old man emu]

4 hours ago, spenaroo said:

can we all agree that the problem is the highway patrol no longer wear leather boots and pants... I mean where is the authority, the sign of being a specialist in their field

I had to add an LOL emoji to that, cause I hope it was written in jest. The jodphurs and long boots were the uniform for those operating on motorcycles. For officer safety, the motorcyclists often swapped into two-person car crews after sunset. They didn't swap uniform.

 

I agree that the change in uniform to cargo pants, combat boots and baseball cap has had the effect of removing that aura of authority from police. In my opinion, the current uniform makes police look like slobs. For most of my career, I wore trousers and elastic sided boots. In summer I wore short-sleeved shirts and in winter something on top that progressed from the tunic coat of my first days, through the shower-proof parka (I was stationed in cold country) to the leather jacket. My headgear (rarely worn while on the road) was a proper cap. With clothes washed and ironed, the old police uniform fitted the bill (pun undecided) and helped police stand out. 

[facthunter]

I'm Jealous. You are more of a pin up boy than US lowly Airline types who get mistaken for Bellhops by Fat US tourists in Qld Hotel lobbies and asked/demanded to take their Bags to room so and so.  Should have just done it and got a fat tip.  Nev

[Bruce Tuncks]

I agree OME. Last time I was told off by a cop, I was in awe of his uniform which was just magnificent. As was his motorbike.

[spenaroo]

Yeah, definitely was in jest.

I often see the photos of the old school highway patrol and think that it was such a cooler looking era.
and the stories too of the special build chase cars. the more freedom they had with booking people or giving warnings

(a previous workshop advisor I worked closely with was a former coffin cheaters secretary from that era. he had the best stories about dropping Bathurst race engines into Utes for the Melbourne to Sydney drug run)

all before my time of course being born in 1991

 

Edited June 19, 2023 by spenaroo

[old man emu]

1 hour ago, spenaroo said:

special build chase cars

Back in the day when Australia built motor vehicles, it was all Holdens and Fords. Both companies were prepared to build "Police Specials". The main difference between a Joe Blowe's V8 Falcon and Constable Quick's was the suspension. The engines were standard, although some of Const Quick's colleagues would drill holes in the back of the air filter to "improve air flow". Air still went through the filter, but the amount wasn't restricted by the bore of the intake trumpet. That stopped when Patrol Commanders were hit with the bills from Vehicles Branch for new filter bodies for replaced vehicles. Back then a HWP vehicle had a life of 40,000 kms before it was traded in. Considering that in rural patrols a car would do something like 250 kms per shift and get serviced on time, those second hand pursuit vehicles were a good buy, if you could put up with the screw holes in the dashboard trim where equipment had been attached.

[Marty_d]

I've had two ex-police vehicles,  an XE Falcon and my current car, a 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe. And yes, there are screw holes in the dash!

[nomadpete]

Police Persuit Cars.....

 

A little while ago I almost had 'Australia's oldest Bodgee' for a grandfather-in-law.

Amongst other activities such a local council alderman, he was supplying the Sydney Police with Cooper S Mini Minors. He said they would only accept them if capable of over 100mph on dyno.

His personal mini (I never asked who paid for it), was usually driven around Sydney suburbs at 70mph. He was over 70 himself. Once his Mrs (lovely lady) got in the car, then every speed limit was obeyed! 

 

Back then, unmarked Police cars (except minis) were all white. With a little blue tint to it that young eyes could pick from a great distance.

 

Where have all those colourful people gone?

[facthunter]

Have we forgotten the chunky light blue  Studebaker Hawks?  Nev

[spenaroo]

18 hours ago, old man emu said:

Back in the day when Australia built motor vehicles, it was all Holdens and Fords. Both companies were prepared to build "Police Specials". The main difference between a Joe Blowe's V8 Falcon and Constable Quick's was the suspension. The engines were standard, although some of Const Quick's colleagues would drill holes in the back of the air filter to "improve air flow". Air still went through the filter, but the amount wasn't restricted by the bore of the intake trumpet. That stopped when Patrol Commanders were hit with the bills from Vehicles Branch for new filter bodies for replaced vehicles. Back then a HWP vehicle had a life of 40,000 kms before it was traded in. Considering that in rural patrols a car would do something like 250 kms per shift and get serviced on time, those second hand pursuit vehicles were a good buy, if you could put up with the screw holes in the dashboard trim where equipment had been attached.

I remember seeing pictures of a modified flacon, that had double wheel rear axles.
from memory was a WA car.

and then there was the Giacottolo

interesting article I found on the history of police interceptors and the link to Bathurst
apparently they were the perfect way to sneak in performance homologation parts without it being known to the public
https://www.tradeuniquecars.com.au/feature-cars/1105/vl-commodore-police-interceptor-(1987)-review

Edited June 20, 2023 by spenaroo

[Marty_d]

Here in Tassie we had Nissan Skyline GTR's in late 80's / early 90's as highway interceptors.  Which, according to my brother-in-law who chatted to a cop who'd pulled him over in one, went and handled extremely well.

 

 

[spenaroo]

The current Victorian highway patrol BMW's go pretty hard apparently.... only complaint swapping from the commodores was not as comfortable with the weapons belts on
when I was working at Ducati we were on first name basis with most of the local hwy unit.
they would all come into the dealership when the cars were getting looked at next-door.
(apparently BMW could program the exhaust valve to stay open, which many officers had done with servicing)

 

there was some WRX's in the 90's

 

and then there is the unmarked fleet....

I know of a Hyabusa and a couple of Ducati Multistrada's in the fleet

Edited June 20, 2023 by spenaroo

[onetrack]

Look, this a REAL Police Interception vehicle!! .....

 

 

[red750]

How's this for confusing?

 

[nomadpete]

2 hours ago, red750 said:

How's this for confusing?

 

Is there a copper hiding behind that tree?

 

(Posted with apologies to OME)

[old man emu]

2 minutes ago, nomadpete said:

Is there a copper hiding behind that tree?

More likely to be a Kopper's log.

 

I really hate road crews who get a road usable by Friday afternoon, but leave the "Roadworks" signs standing all weekend when there's not one of them within a bull's roar of the site.

[facthunter]

And you still get pinched for exceeding the signed speed and KNOW there's no one working there.  Nev

[willedoo]

A few decades ago, I worked for the Main Roads Department for five weeks re-shouldering roads. They were sticklers for making sure signage accurately reflected the work being done. The theory was that if it didn't, motorists would start to ignore signs, a bit like the boy who cried wolf thing. These days, all that seems to have gone by the wayside. I don't know if it's a result of the use of traffic management contractors or not. In times gone by, councils and MRD did their own signage and traffic management.

 

Where I live, hardly any roadworks signage relates to the reality on the ground. They put up 40kph signs in an 80 zone with a multitude of bollards and lights on the side of a perfectly good road and you see nobody there for days, or any signs of work having been done. It might be several days later when they come along and dig a small hole ten feet off the side of the road. They continually slow traffic down for nothing, and most drivers just ignore the signs.

 

Another new thing is when they reopen a newly renovated section of road, they leave the speed restrictions and signs up for at least a month after. And that's with stable hot mix asphalt; you could understand it if it was bitumen with the loose windscreen breaking screenings.

[red750]

What annoys me is the speed restriction signs, and the only visible people/vehicles is the traffic management contractors at the end of the slow zone.

 

Today, I saw a traffic restriction on the three lane Canterbury Rd., outside a house construction site. There was a truck with materials parked in the left lane, and a fork lift unloading goods in the middle lane, squeezing traffic from three lanes to one. No Stop/Go marshalls.

[Bruce Tuncks]

I thought that in SA they passed a law which made it an offense to have traffic restrictions up unnecessarily. But I saw zero evidence of this law working the last time I was there.