In a few days time - on December 1, 2008 - a new law will come into force.
You will no longer be able to stop your car in an area designated by a " No Standing " sign to pick-up or drop off passengers.
All " No Standing " signs will be deemed to be " No stopping " signs, although it may take years for the actual replacement to take place. The police and rangers will hand out hefty infringement fines for those disobeying this law.
The new legislation is supposed to bring this state into uniformity with the other states on road laws - and supposedly the present arrangement is considered a road safety risk - although this would be hotly denied by most people.
It creates a new problem for the elderly and their carers. Just where will it be legal to pick-up and set down passengers who need to visit a doctor's rooms or a specialists office ?
It is illegal to use a bus stop for this purpose - and these days " Loading Zones " are as scarce as hen's teeth.
No doubt the state will designate " pick-up " areas in due course but these will be sited by bureaucrats - and there is no chance that they will accommodate the vast array of people needed by the elderly - doctors, podiatrists, and the vast array providing services for the aged.
The elderly already have " Disability stickers " to designate cars with special permission for longer parking, but these will not provide permission for any sort of pick-up and set down arrangement.
The new " No stopping " regime may have merit, but it will create an impossible situation for the elderly and their carers unless the state government legislates to allow set down and pick-up to legally occur on bus stops and taxi ranks.
Just another case of hasty legislation being enacted - without thinking through the full consequences !
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