Transport

Your advice about International Driving Permits is incorrect and misleading. An IDP, in addition to your normal licence, is a requirement to drive in many countries and recommended by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. IDPs are authorised by a UN treaty and allow motorists to drive internationally without further tests, provided their domestic drivers licence is valid. Many rental car companies may also require an IDP before they will let you hire a vehicle and take out insurance. In the event of a crash, insurance policies could be voided without a valid IDP. Mr Gover may not have been asked for his IDP before but other travellers have not been so lucky.

Traffic camera commissioner Gordon Lewis told News Corp Australia he would do all he could to fix the problem.Motorists eligible to apply for an official warning include those who speed by less than 10km/h without having incurred any other traffic fines in the previous two years, and those speeding by 10 to 14km/h who haven't been booked in the previous three years.Mr Lewis said yesterday he would recommend that infringement notices be changed to include prominently displayed advice on how motorists can ask for a review.It is vitally important that the entire traffic camera system be as transparent as possibleHe also wants the notices to boldly display the principal criteria police use in deciding whether to issue a warning, while emphasising that these are not the only grounds that will be considered."It is vitally important that the entire traffic camera system be as transparent as possible - and that should include being open about how motorists can apply for an official warning instead of a fine," Mr Lewis told the Herald Sun."This information needs to be prominently displayed on every speeding infringement notice. That isn't happening now, and it should be."All the infringement notice currently tells the person is that they can apply for an internal review."But it is printed on the notice in very small type and I suspect not many people see it. And the notice doesn't tell motorists on what grounds they might be eligible to get an official warning."Urging Victoria Police and the Department of Justice to take his comments on board, Mr Lewis said infringement notices were convoluted, cluttered and challenged the reading comprehension of even the most literate people.He said the reference to a review also gave a website as the first point of reference.If the price of transparency requires two pages instead of one, why not?"Now, I don't think we can assume that all motorists have access to computers or know how to use them," he said."A third of all complaints received at my office come by post, mainly from older drivers."I feel that the details of what factors would normally be taken into account in deciding to issue an official warning should be boldly stated on the notice itself, rather than by reference to a website."If the price of transparency requires two pages instead of one, why not?"Victoria's Sheriff, Brendan Facey, and the state's top traffic cop, Robert Hill, said yesterday it was important the traffic camera system be as open and transparent as possible.

Uber drivers and other "ride sourcing" cabbies will be forced to pay GST following a tax office ruling that the new driver services flooding capital cities would be treated as taxis.

The Nationals politician boasted to broadcaster Alan Jones in 2013 that he was the state government's biggest bike lane sceptic and if Ms Moore had her way bike paths would be everywhere, adding: "You know she can't control herself with these sorts of things."But Mr Gay is now riding tandem with Ms Moore, having buddied up as project manager on a series of new bike paths in the CBD.Following News Corp Australia's revelations that 660 on-street CBD car parking spots have been torn up to make way for Ms Moore's $64 million bike paths, Mr Gay was furiously peddling the cyclist agenda.Yesterday he said:The government would build bike paths to Sydney Airport, despite doubts about who would use them.Motorists should not expect to find on-street parking in the CBD because bike paths and George St light rail would gobble them up; andHe would not guarantee that airport bike paths would not destroy more on-street parking.Cycle lanes were in response to "significant" community feedbackIndependent city councillor and CBD cafe owner Angela Vithoulkas said the loss of parking spaces to bike paths was crippling small business and it would get worse as the George St light rail construction began in "September or October"."Not only will business owners and residents continue to be impacted by the bike paths and lack of parking choice they will now have the added complication of trying to function during the light rail chaos," she said.NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said: "Any parking that is being taken away due to cycle paths or light rail needs to be found elsewhere and needs to be affordable."It does seem a bit of a stretch to think people will use bicycles to get to Sydney AirportCycle paths and bike storage facilities were included in a $500 million package alongside a new five-lane entry road and the widening of Qantas Drive - funded by the state government and Sydney Airport - to sort out congested roads around the airport. Work will take place in stages until 2018. Airport CEO Kerrie Mather said cycle lanes were in response to "significant" community feedback.But former government architect Chris Johnson, now boss at the Urban Taskforce, described the idea as "a bit wacky" and suggested Mr Gay had been lunching with Ms Moore."It does seem a bit of a stretch to think people will use bicycles to get to Sydney Airport - it's not too easy to take your luggage on a bicycle," he added.A shared path running along the western kerb of Wentworth Ave, connecting to a shared path running north/south along Botany Rd to Baxter Rd.A separate path across the Giovanni Brunetti Bridge via a clip-on structure that connects to the existing shared path along Alexandra Canal.A cycle path on the southern kerb line of Marsh St to connect to the existing Eve St cycleway to the southern bike bath on the Giovanni Brunetti Bridge.

A growing wave of travellers are bypassing taxis and opting to catch rides using controversial service Uber.

More than 75 per cent of business owners in the region believe traffic snarls and peak-hour hold-ups are even worse than they were 12 months ago.These figures reflecting the neglect by a series of state and federal governments are detailed in the NRMA Business Motoring Survey of close to 500 businesses that run or use vehicle fleets.Heavy traffic is costing $5.1 billion per yearClogged roads and motorways - more than 70 per cent of the 800,000 workers who live in western Sydney use their cars to get to work - are hitting productivity with bosses reporting employees are finding it hard to get to work on time, are stressed after battling the traffic and businesses are knocking back work as a result.Figures show heavy traffic is costing $5.1 billion per year. That figure is expected to leap to $8.8 billion by 2020.Angus Sharkey, Sydney area sales manager for Golden Field Flooring at Wetherill Park, which supplies hardwood and bamboo flooring for sale through retailers, agrees congestion is a massive burden on business.Mr Sharkey said his delivery drivers could not guarantee when the products would arrive."They are always late because they get stuck in traffic," Mr Sharkey said. "We use a trucking company - GMK Logistics - for deliveries and they find it very hard to stick to delivery timetables because the traffic across the city is so bad."Congestion not only hurts the quality of life of families, it also made it harder for small businesses to make a profit and expandThe NRMA survey found more than 40 per cent of businesses have been forced to make changes to the way they do business in an effort to deal with the impact of traffic congestion.Mr Sharkey said his sales reps do not leave the office until 10am to wait for the traffic to die down.NRMA president Kyle Loades said congestion not only hurts the quality of life of families, it also made it harder for small businesses to make a profit and expand."Congestion is a job and productivity killer," Mr Loades said. "Fleet-running businesses in western Sydney are spending money on covering the costs of congestion when it should be spent on growing the business and hiring more staff."The current NSW Government said it had set aside $2.4 billion to "smash" congestion through a massive infrastructure program.But while close to 50 per cent of businesses surveyed believe this needs to be done, about 20 per cent are opposed to the policy.As part of its Rebuilding NSW plan for Sydney roads, the Government wants to build a western harbour tunnel, starting in 2020.

This latest safety campaign aims increase the focus on car safety features when young drivers buy their first car by arming parents with better knowledge about vehicle safety.The Safer cars campaign encourages parents to be involved in helping young drivers choose a safer first car by increasing their involvement in the purchasing process and putting a focus on safety.The campaign's website provides information on where safety information can be found as well as a checklist of things to look for when inspecting a vehicle. It also includes information on ANCAP safety ratings and advice on how to check your current vehicle’s safety ratings.Young drivers aged 17 to 24 make up 13 per cent of Queensland's driving population, but represent around 25 per cent of the state's road toll.Studies have found their choice of vehicle - which are usually older and smaller with fewer safety features - contribute to them being at greater risk of being involved in a fatal road crash.In 2003, only 10 per cent of new cars tested by ANCAP achieved a five-star safety rating. By 2009 that number had increased to 60 per cent.More information can be found on the jointhedrive.qld.gov.au/safe-cars website.

Figures from the Yarra Highway Patrol revealed there were 363 injuries from mishaps on the municipality's roads in 2014.While police were unable to release exact figures, Highway Patrol's Sgt Shayne Bannard said a significant number of those involved cyclists, including many hurt in "dooring" incidents.He said close to 50 pedestrians sustained injuries in road accidents. "We will be focusing on anyone affecting safety of our vulnerable road users," Sgt Bannard said.Be safe, slow down, and to be considerate of other road users"This will include targeting motorists speeding in our 40km/h speed zones around schools and shopping strips where many collisions occur," he said."I would ask everyone to be safe, slow down, and to be considerate of other road users." Sgt Bannard said drink-drivers would also be targeted by police as part of the ongoing Operation Caidy.Thirty-nine drink-drivers have already been caught in the operation this summer. "Worryingly, of the offences detected recently, there were a large proportion of drivers being detected more than twice the limit, including a male involved in a collision in the last fortnight with a breath alcohol level of 0.340 - almost seven times the limit," Sgt Bannard said.There were two fatalities for 2014 - a motorbike crash on the Monash Freeway and a car crash on Hoddle St.Meanwhile, Operation Feather used licence plate recognition technology for three days on Hoddle St this month.Sgt Travis Storti said the technology helped sheriffs recover $120,000 in unpaid fines and put another $400,000 on payment plans. Of nearly 10,000 drivers checked, 23 had unregistered vehicles, four drivers were unlicensed and one was caught drink-driving.

Legislation for the 1m overtaking law, which is being trialled in Queensland, will be introduced after Parliament resumes early next month.Responding yesterday to a Citizens' Jury report aimed at ensuring cyclists and motorists share roads safely, Mr Weatherill said the measures stemmed from increasing concerns about how they interacted.He said laws allowing the common practice of riding on footpaths would be introduced after a consultation period, to be finished by June.South Australia's present law about overtaking cyclists says vehicles should allow "sufficient room".To keep a safe distance you really do need a metre to be safeThe RAA has warned that enforcing the 1m would be difficult, but Amy Gillett Foundation research into the two-year Queensland trial, which started last April, has found it is generally accepted by road users.The 1m law has previously drawn support across the political divide, including from the Greens, federal Liberal Jamie Briggs and the conservative Queensland government.Mr Weatherill yesterday agreed with Queensland's transport minister, who has said the overtaking law is designed to change road safety attitudes, not fine people."Obviously the current law is a safe distance, which is equally difficult to police. It's really sending a message to motorists and cyclists to respect one another," he told The Advertiser."To keep a safe distance you really do need a metre to be safe. It's a powerful cultural message that we're sending about staying safe on our roads." RAA mobility and automotive policy senior manager Mark Borlace said the overtaking law would require pragmatic policing and a comprehensive education campaign."We were worried that it may still be a cause of antagonism between bike riders and car drivers," he said.Mr Borlace said the RAA had supported almost all of the Citizens' Jury recommendations and hoped Queensland's experience with the overtaking law would be repeated in SA.Amy Gillett's mother, Mary Safe, said requiring motorists to leave a 1m gap would be worthwhile if it saved even one cyclist's life.Her daughter, a South Australian, was killed by an out-of-control car in Germany in 2005 when she was cycling with her national track teammates.Mrs Safe stressed the new overtaking laws would help both cyclists and motorists.The Government would develop laws to allow cyclists of all ages to ride on footpaths"There's no motorist on Earth who wants to live with the knowledge that with their vehicle they maimed a person...or, at the worst, killed them," she said.The foundation's research into the Queensland trial found 67 per cent of all road users agreed with the law and 61 per cent of cyclists had experienced motorists leaving a greater overtaking distance.Mr Weatherill said the Government would develop laws to allow cyclists of all ages to ride on footpaths, removing a $45 fine that now applies to all but children under 12.He also said Adelaide City Council would be approached about trialling changes to speed limits and traffic flows.The Citizens' Jury report, released in November, recommended a 40km/h speed limit trial in the CBD, excluding West Terrace, and testing some one-way streets.Initial funds of $250,000 will be allocated to a "Greenways and Bicycle Boulevard program", which will include a focus on bike lanes that end suddenly and black spots.Mr Weatherill said this program would be funded in this year's State Budget. "We support the vast majority of the jury's recommendations and will further investigate the remaining ones," Mr Weatherill said.Brisbane cyclist Irene Maka, visiting for the Tour Down Under, said the Queensland overtaking rule had improved road safety. "I've found vehicles have been much more courteous, either pulling back or giving us that distance."

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