Police Wrap - 24 July

This in from police media today:

1. Bad girls from Gowrie are in strife after a pair of alleged aggravated robberies in Tuggeranong. Three slightly older males in their company are “assisting police with their inquiries”.

2. Yesterday’s lost silver BMW has now been found, along with a 29 year old Belconnen man. Sounds like an exciting chase across Totterdell Street balconies.

GDE duplication is GO GO GO

[First filed: July 23, 2008 @ 17:58]

The heat is ON!

Chief Minister Jon Stanhope and the Minister for Municipal Services John Hargreaves have just announced that the duplication of Gungahlin Drive is to start immediately.

Work will commence on the southern end of the GDE immediately with a tender to be called next month with work to begin on the northern end of the road to be completed within the term of the next government.

Completion in four years.

Whingeing, it gets stuff done!

UPDATED: What appears to have set this off is Zed promising CityNews that he’d do the duplication. The ABC mentions some childish slanging over the timing.

The Liberal policy is on their website dated 21 July, but I couldn’t tell you when it got there.

Idiots driving dangerously past accidents (Southern Cross Drive and Chave Street)

I was heading Eastbound on Southern Cross Drive just before 6pm this evening (23rd July) and saw the aftermath of what appeared to be a single car accident on the other side of the road (Westbound) - this was the intersection of Southern Cross Drive and Chave Street (Holt)

What had caught my eye was a guy in the middle of the road waving furiously in attempt to warn oncoming westbound traffic that there had been an accident. I did a U turn just up the road and parked my car about 50 metres back from the intersection (blue dot) and put my hazard lights on (a) to provide some warning that there was a problem up ahead and hopefully slow the traffic down and (b) to force traffic to the centre lane to avoid the car (red dot - car 1) that was nose in to the curb and blocking the curb-side lane.

The guy that was doing all the waving had called for an ambulance and asked me to check that the lady who was sitting in car 1 was alright as she was obviously dazed. I spoke with the lady and reassured her that assistance was on the way and used my mobile so that she could call her husband. Fortunately a trained nurse pulled up and was able to assess the situation properly.

Whilst this was all happening I was amazed at the behaviour of the drivers going past the accident. I swear people were speeding up to get past and squeezing and jostling to get into the single lane. There was a lot of wreckage strewn across the road (large chunks of broken plastic and glass) and I am surprised that there wasn’t another accident the number of times I heard cars locking up their brakes. Unbeknownst to me at the time there was a second car involved (red dot - car 2) that had gone across both lanes and ended up amongst the trees in someones front yard.

Within about 5 minutes, two fire tenders and a police car were onsite and the fireys were attending to the woman in the first car and driver (and possibly passengers) in the second car. 3 minutes later an ambulance arrived - the woman in car 1 was given some oxygen by the paramedics.

I hung around for a couple more minutes before heading off as there was nothing more I could do and the police had the traffic under control by that stage. Besides a big yellow fire engine tender with their halogen spot lights and flashing lights parked across the road is far more effective than a sedan with hazard lights.

A couple of observations:

1. If you see a car with hazard lights flashing this is not an immediate invitation to speed up and squeeze into a single lane to get around it. They tend to be called “hazard lights” for a reason.
2. To the guy that was standing in the middle of the road trying furiously waving to warn motorists and slow the traffic down - Sir, you need to be congratulated on what you did, that took balls, and I’m amazed you didn’t end up a statistic yourself.
3. Can anyone suggest how I go about putting myself on a proper First Aid course. I’d much rather be able to assist properly next time I’m in a similar situation. I felt somewhat awkward and helpless as all I could do was reassure the lady in the first car that help was on the way.

Why we’re not talking about today’s ABS data.

The Bureau of Statistics released some data today on social trends.

And every other media outlet with a moron for editor/producer in Australia is making much of this data and its significance for their local area.

We’re not.

Guess what? Canberrans remain better educated and higher earning, on average, than other jurisdictions. Hardly news. Call me when that ceases to be the case.

More importantly the data is for 2006-7.

Internet demography, bus usage? This data is now so out of date as to be meaningless in news terms.

Still very important for the ABS and for Government. Not news.

So excuse this rant and we now return to normal service.

Drama at Aussie Junk today?

Around lunchtime today (Wed) I noticed two Police vehicles exiting Aussie Junk (the rubbish recycling equivalent to Revolve located at Mitchell) and several people (presumably Aussie Junk workers) congregating on the footpath outside.

Next a TV film crew arrived (ABC I think, their vehicle had “Z” plates) and appeared to interview these people. Anyone know what was going on?

[ED - according to WIN News a big employee entitlements fight]

Causeway carefactor?

The Shadow Minister for Housing, Jacqui Burke, is taking up cudgels for the residents of Causeway who can’t get any maintenance done on their soon to be bulldozed houses, and yet can’t get official confirmation it’s going to happen.

Outrageous? Or bulldoze ASAP?

Raider implicated in All Bar Nun fight Sunday night

[First filed: July 22, 2008 @ 08:57
Second filing: July 22, 2008 @ 16:45]

Nothing online as yet but Raiders players, Bronx Goodwin and someone else, were allegedly involved in a scuffle at the All Bar Nun last night at around midnight. The allegations are that Goodwin king hit a patron who was attempting to alleviate the situation by leaving.

Let’s see if this gets pushed under the carpet.

[ED - The Herald Sun has more here]

UPDATED The Canberra Times is reporting that Carney and Goodwin have both been stood down pending an investigation. Way to ruin a season.

ANOTHER UPDATE: ABC radio is reporting that Todd Carney allegedly urinated on another patron of the bar.

Further Update: Bronx has apparently been charged with two counts of assault. Todd Carney has not been charged with any crime. Both players remain suspended until the board meets over the weekend. ABC has the report.

Apparently this is all a media beat-up according to Raider’s chairman John McIntyre. In turn he says the beatup is a testament to the popularity of Rugby League.

Police wrap - 23 July

So far just one today:

1. A thief with balls of brass is alleged to have entered a house in Fadden on Monday night while the owners slept, picked up a laptop, a mobile, cash, and then grabbed the keys for the silver 3-Series BMW which they then made off with after getting it out of the garage.

Reasons to get a dog?

Anyone with info asked to report it to Crimestoppers.

A good political slogan?

A friend of mine, John Barilaro, is running for Queanbeyan City Council and has come up with the following political slogan:-
 
‘No slogan! Just hard work for our community’
 
I thought that was a ripper.
 
I have suggested to Gary Kent, a candidate for Molonglo, who stands at 160cm, that his slogan should be:-
 
‘Gary Kent – Standing tall for Canberra’
 
He is a little hesitant.
 
So with the ACT Election just around the corner what are some other good political slogans for our pollies.
 
Or what slogan would best suit some of the candidates running?

Who had right of way?

Hi All,

I am wanting to find out some more information of right of way at light intersections as I cannot find enough information on the tams website to clarify my concern.

I was driving to work this morning and nearly ran a kid over at a light intersection in Queanbeyan. I was sitting at the lights ready to turn right (red box see diagram below) heading south from the Kings Highway intending to turn onto Crawford Street toward the Q Arts Centre . I had just looked up to see I HAD A GREEN LIGHT and started to go when out of the corner of my eye I noticed a young boy about 10years or so crossing the intersection in front of me (blue arrow showing his direction in diagram below). He was clearly crossing on a RED WALK signal and ran directly in front of me. The boy ran across and I almost ran him over. My heart skipped a beat. Luckily he didnt touch my car but he was sure as hell within 1/2metre from it and if he had been any faster or I had been any slower off the mark I wouldnt have been able to stop and would have run him over.

I have looked on the TAMS website and briefed through the road rule files they have there but the best I can find is:

• Pedestrians  are not permitted to cross the road on a red walk sign
• Cars must give way to pedestrians at traffic signals when turning left or right (this indicates to me that if he were crossing in the opposite direction where the yellow arrow is on the diagram below, then I would have had to give way to him, however, he ran across the intersection at the point where the blue arrow went.)
  

Does anyone know who is in the right of way at a light intersection here. He clearly crossed when he wasnt meant to but if we had collidided, would I have been held responsible??? Any help on this matter would be most appreciated

Thanks

News readers on WIN - we need a local Sandra Sully

Im getting over it…

Watching local news with Jessica Good, Phil Small and co is really starting to get to me… Its got a very plastic, uncomfortable, awkward feel with nearly zero expression/emotion to it.

I know I can change the channel but I need my nightly fix of Canberra Raiders updates with some local news thrown in.. When is WIN going to discover a Sandra Sully or someone of that quality and stick em on at 630!?!?

We had Peter Leonard as our last anchor and he was as exciting as a floor board although did know how to read the news very well

what do you all think of the local news/journo talent we have in the ACT?
Good?
Bad?
Ugly?

‘Rhizome’ ain’t all that bad.

‘Rhizome’, by Richard Goodwin, is the sculpture at the northern end of the Gungahlin Drive Extension and has been the subject of much mirth and derision from RiotACT readers.

But having finally seen it I think you’re all being a bit harsh.

It’s a real achievement to build such a light, airy structure out of steel. It does evoke native grasses. It does not look like the Chief Minister’s hair.

Get up close to it, really appreciate it, and it will speak to you. Not all art can do that let alone monumental sculpture.

I think the Gungahlinistes are lucky to have it.

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Young Liberals thrown out for drunkeness?

[First filed: July 09, 2008 @ 22:13]

The Australian Liberal Student conference is on in town this week (apparently).

Andrew Landeryou is running a story today claiming that more than 40 students attending the conference have been booted from the YHA due to “isolated cases of public drunkenness and hooliganism”.

His story contains conflicting reports as to whether these students managed to find further accommodation or not and whether members of the NSW Right faction (depicted oh so well in John Hyde Page’s Education of a Young Liberal) were ringleaders.

UPDATED: Two weeks later the Daily Terror is on the story

Images of Canberra - Jack Frost on the rear-view mirror

Simmo has sent in a little piece of wonder found this morning on his wing mirror.

Got an image in or around Canberra you want to share with the world? Email them to john@the-riotact.com

Daramalan leaps into the sex abuse ring

Not content with letting Marist get all the attention, the Canberra Times reports that Daramalan is stepping up its own sex abuse scandal.

Five fresh compensation claims against the school have been lodged in the ACT Supreme Court in the past week on behalf of former students whom Lyons sexually abused in the late 1980s and 1990s.