For reasons that are not clear the New South Wales government changed the status of " No Standing " signs to " No Stopping " on December 1 of last year.
As a result, those who dare even momentarily stop where an unchanged " No Standing " sign is displayed will now cop a fine of $ 185,a sharp increase on the previous $ 75 for exceeding the two minute limit previously allowed.
It is often said that legislation changes introduce unintended results and a glaring example of this relates to Australia Post street side letter boxes.
All such post boxes have " No Standing " stencilled on the side facing the road. The intention was two fold - to allow motorists to briefly stop and post letters, and to provide a space free of permanently parked vehicles to allow Australia Post to clear the mail for sorting and distribution.
This legislative change has presented a bonanza for Council rangers with their cameras recording photographic evidence. Most people are not even aware of the change of status of " No Standing " signs - and few are even aware of the stencil on the front of post boxes.
It would have been nice if the government had paid thought to the reason a brief stop was permitted at post boxes - and introduced a new sign to replace that " No Standing " that now meant " No Stopping ".
Replacing the stencil with " Two minute halt permitted " would have maintained the purpose of the original intention, but then - when did common sense ever become part of government thinking ?
What odds those " No Standing " signs are still displayed on post boxes decades from now ?
Just another example of a civil liberty denied - and a new opportunity created for revenue raising !
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