NSW mobile phone detection cameras

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by lra

BENT 8, not a criticism, but your employer rules can be more stringent and explicit than State rules.
As a NSW ex- bus driver, or rules were..
No incoming calls to be taken.
If you had to make call, park the bus safely, neutral, park brake on, engine stopped, get out of driver's seat and make call while standing on the front step.
Failure to comply = instant dismissal, and there were dismissals which the Union backed up, no running to the Union rep with tears and sad stories.
But personally, I can't see the difference between that, and using our 2 way radio, which was allowable.

My Employer has no separate policy other than to abide by road rules applicable, in fact I regularly see senior staff on their mobile whilst parked waiting for clients and as you would know if you drove buses, its often better to leave the engine running on short waits than switch them on and off.
For me to shut my bus down I need to idle it for a couple of minutes for the turbo to cool.
The rules governing the contract stipulate that no one can board or alight the bus whilst the engine is running, could you imagine pulling up to pick up or drop off passengers and having to idle the bus for a couple of minutes to cool the turbo before you open the door, X that by the 10 stops im required to do in a 40 minute period, it doesn't happen because its a ridiculous notion and unpractical.

Our SA Police Commissioner was on the radio this morning discussing the new camera's in NSW amongst other things, after the Commissioner explained that the SA Government would be monitoring how it works in NSW before committing to them here the host, Mark Soderstrom, asked him about driving whilst drinking a coffee.
Now, recently we've seen people being pinged for failing to have control of their vehicle because they we're seen consuming drinks whilst driving, guess what the Commissioners response was...
Yes you can drink a coffee whilst driving but it cant be a distraction.
Question is, who decides if its a distraction...that's the grey area and leaves the driver at the mercy of the particular officer.

Personally I believe they leave the grey area in the rules because it gives them the ability to pick and choose how and when they apply them.

[Citroënbender]

I have a good friend who is daft enough to handle his phone often whilst driving. When the inevitable ping occurred, Monsieur Plod gifted him a fine for unsecured load (“loose dangerous items in the cabin”) instead of a phone penalty.

The silly bugger still moaned about it! It’s people like he, who will be caught by the new tech.

[creative]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

.....
Personally I believe they leave the grey area in the rules because it gives them the ability to pick and choose how and when they apply them.

This. The rules are ambiguous for a reason. The general public reads it one way, authority the other.

As you say previously, a few more words inserted into a rule can clear everything up but they wont do that because it takes away the authorities power to interpret it their way. ( I have dealt with this in a rental capacity and dealing with tribunal )

This is also a question I have seen with the new digital drivers licenses and again the ambiguity behind mobile phone use and when you are considered parked etc.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by creative

This. The rules are ambiguous for a reason. The general public reads it one way, authority the other.

As you say previously, a few more words inserted into a rule can clear everything up but they wont do that because it takes away the authorities power to interpret it their way. ( I have dealt with this in a rental capacity and dealing with tribunal )

Agreed, and I get the old 'attitude test' which many officers apply when deciding how they interpret a possible wrong doing, but in my situation it wasn't a person of authority ranting at the bus door, it was a do gooder from the general populace who obviously hadn't read the way the rule is written or interpreted it differently to me and whilst its ok to say that's his prerogative as he isn't necessarily wrong either, having some random dude standing at the bus door ranting and raving with a bus full of young, recently arrived children, many of whom have come from very different backgrounds and therefore have trust issues, is probably causing more of a safety issue than me reaching for my mobile phone.
But I doubt vigilantism was at the forefront of thinking when they decided that ambiguous written rules we're a great idea.

[lra]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

For me to shut my bus down I need to idle it for a couple of minutes for the turbo to cool. The rules governing the contract stipulate that no one can board or alight the bus whilst the engine is running, ……………………….

I didn't have a turbo, just a dirty big Merc 6 cyl atmo.
No passengers on or off with engine running ......WTF …. never heard of that. What know-nothing desk driver would have thought of that one.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by lra

I didn't have a turbo, just a dirty big Merc 6 cyl atmo.
No passengers on or off with engine running ......WTF …. never heard of that. What know-nothing desk driver would have thought of that one.

I know, but them's the rules, I tried it on my first day thinking I was doing the right thing by obeying the rules, but within a few stops the smell coming out of it stopped that practice, haven't smelt it since, so it wasn't happy.