Grandmother who hit cyclists loses licence

G-S

Theo Bekkers wrote:
> Baka Dasai wrote:
>
>> Transport infrastructure is always built before housing - it's just a
>> question of which form of transport infrastucture. In fact I'd say
>> that the transport infrastucture determines the sort of housing that
>> is subsequently built.
>
> Really, I live in a semi-rural estate of 600 x 2-hectare blocks, most of
> which now have houses on them. The "Transport Infrastructure" is a 5 metre
> wide strip of bitumen. We do have a school bus for the kids. No vehicle, you
> can't live there.
>

There is a middle ground between your 2 extremes :-)

I live in a suburb of a smallish country town (8000) and there are 5 bus
services daily from here to the local train station and back (which is
5kms... so easy cycling distance and do-able for walking if fit).

That applies to every hamlet or town in the shire.

That station has 1 hourly trains running both to the CBD (Melbourne
1:15) and Bendigo (20m).

School buses cover every major road in the shire and are seperate.

Is W.A really that bad for rural town transport Theo or is it just your
area?


G-S

G-S

Zebee Johnstone wrote:
>
> I am unsure how many people have lived in places that don't have good
> transport, and don't have the things that transport brings like
> sewerage, water, appliances, medical help, and access to schooling.
>

I used to live in a town of 250 people with 1 pub (we were lucky, most
towns that size have lost their pub) and 1 local store (no fuel).

A part time Ambulance service (20 minutes away), volunteer CFA, no
police station (or general coverage of the area, only major events would
bring them 20 minutes from the nearest station, and that wasn't 24
hour). No emergency department at the local hospital (20 minutes away
but no staff doctors, just local GP's), so emergencies had to be
transported 35 minutes along the highway to Bendigo (or an hour 20 to
Melbourne), or air ambulance helicopter (if it was available and flyable
and not away from the area).

I prefer living in the rural town I'm in now (8000 population), it may
not have metro level services... but at least it has most essential
services available (if not as easily or as conveniently).


G-S


G-S

Resound

"Theo Bekkers" <tbekkers@bekkers.com.au> wrote in message
news:4769e65c$1@news.bekkers.com.au...
> Resound wrote:
>> "Theo Bekkers wrote
>
>>> Hehe. We're getting a new SS ute today or tomorrow.
>
>> I do have to ask why...was it the bad fuel economy or reduced load
>> carrying ability you found most appealing?
>
> It's a company car, replacing a 4-5 yo Holden Storm ute, and the most
> appealing thing about it is that it doesn't attract FBT. I'm probably
> never going to drive it. I personally also have a company car of my
> choice, a 4 yo 4 cyl manual Ford Courier ute.
>
> Theo
Ok, so it's a company car. But what's it *for* that make it an attractive
option? The Storm was more of the same.

Theo Bekkers

G-S wrote:
> Theo Bekkers wrote:
>> If you make a mistake due to an error in
>> your risk calculation, should all your property be sold to
>> compensate an injured party, even if you have insurance specifically
>> for such an event happening?

> I have to say... I am not now, nor have I ever been a fan of the
> 'no-fault' insurance system.
>
> So no I don't believe all property should be sold (as long as the
> insurance is paid up to date), but a reasonable 'excess' and or
> 'ratings' system isn't too much to ask I would have thought!
>
> Something that says "you've been busted for 0.05 twice and you're a
> higher risk and deserve a higher premium" or "you ran a group of
> cyclists over and deserve max premium" (this in addition to any
> relevant court action, not instead of I might add).

Yes, I agree with you on that, but it's probably too hard. Like childless
people don't get a discount on their income tax for education.

Theo

Theo Bekkers

Resound wrote:
> "Theo Bekkers" wrote
>> It's a company car, replacing a 4-5 yo Holden Storm ute, and the most
>> appealing thing about it is that it doesn't attract FBT. I'm probably
>> never going to drive it.

> Ok, so it's a company car. But what's it *for* that make it an
> attractive option? The Storm was more of the same.

Only that the person who was driving the Storm wanted a new vehicle and his
salary package includes a vehicle of his choice. His gross salary is reduced
by the purchasing cost of the vehicle so it is entirely his choice as to
what he drives. That it is a ute is for FBT, same as your ute.

Theo

brucef

On Dec 20, 7:48 pm, G-S <ge...@castbus.com.au> wrote:
> Is W.A really that bad for rural town transport Theo or is it just your
> area?

Yes, it really is that bad. As a general rule you get school buses and
probably nothing else. And I think Theo isn't really rural, he is on
the edge of the metropolitan expansion.

Rural Victoria is different from anywhere else in Australia. Traveling
around the place in 2000 I was struct by the high and relatively even
density of the population. I think you can thank the Murray, which
encouraged the formation of significant towns right from the earliest
days of settlement.

Terryc

G-S wrote:

> Is W.A really that bad for rural town transport Theo or is it just your
> area?

It isn't just rural WA. Vic Rural sounds like it gets phenominal service
compared to rural areas elsewhere in australia that I have visited.
Probably just a sign of population density and relative compactness of
the state.

OTOH, these people buy land at a premium to go and live in these areas,
rural sub-divisions, so they can not complain, although around here,
quiet a few do. Obviously money doesn't buy intelligence or life awareness.

Theo Bekkers

G-S wrote:
> Theo Bekkers wrote:

>> Really, I live in a semi-rural estate of 600 x 2-hectare blocks,
>> most of which now have houses on them. The "Transport
>> Infrastructure" is a 5 metre wide strip of bitumen. We do have a
>> school bus for the kids. No vehicle, you can't live there.

> There is a middle ground between your 2 extremes :-)
>
> I live in a suburb of a smallish country town (8000) and there are 5
> bus services daily from here to the local train station and back
> (which is 5kms... so easy cycling distance and do-able for walking if
> fit).
> That applies to every hamlet or town in the shire.
>
> That station has 1 hourly trains running both to the CBD (Melbourne
> 1:15) and Bendigo (20m).

Wow! I spent my school years in a smallish country town in WA of 6000
people. Apart from school buses the only transport for hire was the one, yes
ONE, taxi. Now they have two taxis, and a Care and Share bus for the
pensioners.

> Is W.A really that bad for rural town transport Theo or is it just
> your area?

My current area is worse, but it is my choice to live here.

Theo

Theo Bekkers

Terryc wrote:
> G-S wrote:
>
>> Is W.A really that bad for rural town transport Theo or is it just
>> your area?
>
> It isn't just rural WA. Vic Rural sounds like it gets phenominal
> service compared to rural areas elsewhere in australia that I have
> visited. Probably just a sign of population density and relative
> compactness of the state.
>
> OTOH, these people buy land at a premium to go and live in these
> areas, rural sub-divisions, so they can not complain, although around
> here, quiet a few do. Obviously money doesn't buy intelligence or life
> awareness.

Hehehe. Look Terry, I'm really sorry you are angry because you live in a
shoebox. I chose to live where I do. It is peaceful, has a good sense of
community, far and awy much better than any of my friends i the big smoke,
and I don't have to lock myself in at night, or during the day. We have a
small, very small, mini-market ten minutes away for emergencies, and I live
45 minutes from work, 35 minutes from a major metro shopping centre. I have
people working for us who live on a 300 sq metre block and travel longer to
work than I do.

I'm not complaining, though I wonder sometimes why seemingly intelligent
people choose to live in shoe-boxes. When I can no longer drive, I suppose
I'll have to go to a shoe-box, and then to a coffin. But hey, life is
terminal.

Theo

Theo Bekkers

TimC wrote:
> On 2007-12-19, Theo Bekkers wrote

>> Dammit! Only the young are allowed to hoon now. I demand equal
>> rights for old hoons.
>>
>> Would it be OK with you if I see how fast my motorcycle can go if a)
>> the road is in a deserted region and b) there are no cyclists in the
>> way and c) I hide my seniors card.
>
> And there's no side streets and pedestrians and indeed any sign of
> life, I have no problem with a car driver doing 200kmh.
>
> I don't even experience that much sadness when teenagers kill
> themselves on remote roads as long as it is a single car fatality in
> circumstances where it was highly likely the teenager was doing
> something stupid to be able to reach such an outcome. Bringing
> something on yourself (and willing car occupants), and only yourself,
> is not something I have issues with, car driver, motorcycle rider, or
> bike rider.
>
> But car drivers don't always realise what other life exists and what
> risks they are placing on third parties. I imagine on your
> motorcycle, you probably are introducing less risks on unwilling third
> parties. So go ahead. And flaunt the seniors card.

Cool, thanks for that, but I only got to 190. Are you saying that bike
riders always realise that other life exists, or that bike riders are indeed
a form of life? :-)

Theo

Graeme Dods

On Dec 24, 4:47 pm, "Theo Bekkers" <tbekk...@bekkers.com.au> wrote:

> Are you saying that bike
> riders always realise that other life exists, or that bike riders are indeed
> a form of life? :-)

It's life, Theo, but not as we know it :-)

Graeme

Baka Dasai

On Mon, 24 Dec 2007 16:45:01 +0900, Theo Bekkers said (and I quote):
>
> I'm not complaining, though I wonder sometimes why
> seemingly intelligent people choose to live in shoe-boxes.

I like to live in places where there always lots of people walking the
streets, and where I can walk most places. Those things are far more
important to me than the size of the house/apartment I live in. What
do you use all that space for? I can't think of a need for it.
--
What was I thinking?