RTA Dirty Tricks Campaign
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1. Increasing Apparent Cost
In July 2006 Roads Minister Roozendaal approved a trial of eight sets of my lights at Peakhurst and Lugarno. Most of the 40kmh signs that we intended to install the lights on were mounted directly on Energy Australia power poles, making it cheap and easy to power them from the overhead mains. The RTA and Energy Australia had jointly inspected the signs and agreed to the installations.
Not only was it agreed that those signs would remain on the EA poles, it was agreed that other signs that were not on EA poles would be relocated to be on poles, as per this letter from the RTA to Energy Australia dated 3 August 2006. (Highlighting added).
The day before I was to meet with the RTA to finalise installation details some other section of the RTA secretly went out and removed all of the above 40km/h signs from the power poles and reinstalled them on separate posts up to 5m from the power poles. The sign on Old Forest Rd Lugarno was reinstalled on the other side of a concrete driveway
Moving the signs greatly increased the apparent installation cost, as the wiring then had to be run down the power poles inside reinforced steel channels and underground to the signs. In the latter case it meant tunnelling under the driveway. (There was no actual cost increase as Energy Australia ran the power for nothing.)
The RTA later claimed that it was just part of an ongoing program to remove RTA signs from power poles. That claim was patently false:
- The only signs that were moved were the ones that I was intending to use.
- Many other RTA signs on power poles in the same school zones, including other identical 40kmh signs, were not touched and were still in place six year later.
- The RTA has added new road signs to the above power poles since that date.
Lugarno Public School
Lugarno Pde - sign moved off power pole
Lugarno Pde not moved (as at May 2012) and a new Crossing sign added in 2008
Old Forest Rd, my sign moved, 2 other signs not moved, 2 Crossing signs added in 2008
Peakhurst High School
The 40kmh sign and "End School Zone" sign were both on power poles. The RTA relocated the 40kmh
sign only. The End sign was still attached to the power pole six years later.
Isaac St original location (showing RTA tearing down my initial unauthorised lights)
Isaac St moved to new posts
Isaac St not moved and still there six years later
Private Lights on Power Poles
The RTA cannot claim that having (12v) lights on the power poles was an issue. There are power poles all over Sydney with private floodlights attached to them outside car yards and other businesses.
Private floodlight on a power pole
Another private floodlight on a power pole
Size of Signs
The RTA cannot claim that the size of the 40kmh signs on the power poles was an issue:
- They left other identical signs on power poles in the same school zones, as stated above.
- They drove past and ignored larger RTA signs on power poles on Forest Rd a few hundred metres before Lugarno Public School.
- They have mounted even larger signs on power poles in Bay St Rockdale and Brighton-le-Sands. Those signs protrude from one side of the poles only which places a large twisting strain on the poles in strong wind.
Larger signs on Forest Rd not moved and still there six years later
Sign installed two years later in Bay St Rockdale
Sign installed two years later in Bay St Brighton-le-Sands
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