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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2001 Week 9 Hansard (22 August) . . Page.. 3223 ..

The Assembly voted-

 	Ayes, 7    			Noes, 6

 Mrs Burke  	Mr Osborne  	Mr Berry  	Mr Stanhope
 Mr Cornwell  	Mr Rugendyke  	Mr Hargreaves  	Ms Tucker  
 Mr Hird  	Mr Stefaniak  	Mr Moore  	Mr Wood
 Mr Kaine
Question so resolved in the affirmative.

Bill, as amended, agreed to.

Adjournment

Motion (by Mr Moore ) proposed:

That the Assembly do now adjourn.

Athllon Drive transit lane

MR WOOD (6.32): Mr Speaker, life can be tough-and tougher for some people than for others. I want to raise the case of a poor bloke from Tuggeranong who got caught in the transit lane on Athllon Drive down to the valley. He does not get out of the valley much. He gets in his car sometimes and goes down to the health centre in Tuggeranong for physiotherapy. Some months ago-this has been going on for a while-he went to Tuggeranong and they said, "We cannot do you today. Go into Woden."

So he went on Athllon Drive. He has been on it before, no doubt. He did not know about the transit lane. He did not know that at that time in the morning you had to have three people in the car. You only have to look at the bloke. He is not young and he is frail. The policeman could have said, "Okay, I will just let you know. I will educate you." But he did not. He wrote out a ticket and said, "Write a letter and appeal about it." So the bloke wrote a letter and appealed about it. He was told: "No, can't help you." Now he has to face this fine. Life is pretty tough.

I did not understand that sign when I first saw it. I knew it was a transit lane. It is not a very clear sign. It does not tell everybody explicitly what the rule is. I do not know which minister is particularly involved, whether it is a courts matter now, a police matter or what. But I have a letter upstairs that I will be charging off. I hope that whoever gets it says, "Okay, fair thing. This bloke does not deserve a ticket."

Something like this happened not so long ago, and the bloke said, "I didn't know about it and I have been driving for a long time. I should be let off." And he was let off. But this time someone has taken a harder view. Mr Stefaniak, if you or someone else gets my letter, can you help?

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