THE GINGER PERCEPTION

Action 1 - Police Enforcement

The increased presence of the ever so reliable NSW Police force is being noticed by not only parents of children, but the staff of the schools.  Under this latest crack down by the Police, the number of infringement notices in school zones had dropped as much as 20% in some cases, as stated by the State Debt Recovery Office (SDRO).

Alternatively, parents are now leaving their money to be snatched up by the cash strapped Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) in the form of fixed speed cameras.  Infringement notices from these cameras are down, but 8,000 in NSW alone is nothing to be smiling about.

The visibile combination of both the NSW Police and RMS are having a somewhat minimal effect on the school zone areas, with 6 out of the top 10 grossing speed cameras in NSW all located in school zones.  

It is obvious people are aware of the school zones, but somehow they feel the endangering the younger, nubile generation is worth the $300 ticket and minimum of 4 demerit points.

Action 2 - Accessibility to Public Transport

Transport NSW introduced their latest effort to encourage school children to catch public transport to and from school in a bid to ease the tension on the already clogged Sydney road network. 

The School Student Transport Scheme (SSTS), ever so appropriately named allows ELIGABLE school student FREE access to public transport to and from school everyday.  This latest effort has increased the numbers of school children using public transport, but the figures still show that more then 40% still ride with mummy in the morning.

To provide further assistance to the SSTS, Transport NSW have given school guidelines for safe walking routes through and around the major arterial roads of Sydney, providing some comfort for parents.  The school also provides useful safety and transport information for the students.

Action 3 - Covert Parking Operation


Snagging a park near a Sydney school after 8am is nothing short of miracle, as described by some local parents.  This common issue is being tackled by schools and the State Government in the form of upgrades to infrastructure and budgets.

Local’s schools are now in the process of disabled Access upgrades, which will mostly coincide with upgrades the parking agenda as well, as stated by the Dept. of Education and Communities (DoEC).  

However, parents are still being advised by their respective schools to avoid using school parking, leading to a stem of parking infringements as stated by Julie Organ, deputy principle of Willoughby Public.  Organ further stated that during presence of Police in the school zone area parents almost immediately began obeying the rules.

The overriding issue with the parking situation around Sydney's schools is the safety of the children.  The Pedestrian Council of Australia (PCA) is lobbying to introduce a 'zero tolerance' to ANY illegal parking in school zones, implementing a covert parking enforcement program funded by the State Government.  Harold Scruby of the PCA declares parents should have the book thrown at them, especially because of the hypocritical nature of the crime.

References: PCA - www.walk.com.au

SDRO - www.sdro.nsw.gov.au

RMS - www.rms.nsw.gov.au