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Written by

Trevor Ammundsen

Published on

December 19, 2024

The cunning of the traffic tax taking team

BY TREVOR AMMUNDSEN

Over the years our traffic police have been quite adept at tricking the public into following good driving habits, in particular the reduction of driving speeds.

I remember when speed radars first appeared, the Traffic Department announced they were going to be nice to us and tell us where these units were set up.

This they did by setting up hundreds of signs warning us to slow down as we were entering a radar-controlled area.

As we only had about 40 radar units for the whole country at that time, it soon became apparent that these “radar controlled areas” were in fact empty of such devices. Their most effective weapon was the publicity, not the units themselves.

Some years later, the Traffic boys launched their aerial attack on traffic speed. They did this by painting a whole lot of white lines, about a yard long and perpendicular to the centre line. It was then announced that a fleet of spotter planes would be checking the time when you crossed a line and then crossed another one down the road. A simple calculation would confirm your speed and if guilty an officer further down the road would stop you to give you your ticket. If pigs could fly!

Of course this was always rubbish and at the end of the holiday season the Traffic boys had to announce that it was a bit hard getting the planes and pilots they needed, so no spotting actually got carried out. But for the cost of a bit of paint and some publicity, the Traffic Department was able to enjoy their Christmas Holidays while cutting down speed and accident; a very cunning plan.

A recent trip over the Kopu-Hikuai road has alerted me to what I think maybe their cunning plan for this Christmas.

There is a small passing lane at the top of a small hill on the Hikuai end and once you crest this hill, there is an area a few hundred yards down the road which has plenty of room to pull over.

Part of this area is shaded and on this particular day a traffic officer was parked comfortably in this shaded area. Once I came into view, he turned on his coloured light show, very festive I thought, stuck his hand out the window and signalled me to pull over. I watched in my rear vision mirror as he put down his fizzy drink and book, buttoned up his shirt and then made his way into the sun to confront me.

We had an interesting conversation where he told me they were concentrating on five things, speeding, stop sign encroachment, use of mobile phones, driving distracted and impaired driving. Most of these things would require him to drive his vehicle, but he preferred to park under a shady tree, so I am unsure about how focussed he really was. We also discussed the irony of being able to drive to Port Charles or across the Tapu Coroglen road at 100Km per hour but only at 80km per hour on that bit of the state highway. As with all such conversations I have had, I lost and the officer duly gave me a ticket.

This little incident makes me wonder whether the concept of stopping for a car without sighting a police officer would work.

In my situation the officer’s hand out the window could be replaced by an electronic sign telling me to slow down, or possibly stop.

The officer’s conversation could be replaced by something far more interesting, perhaps a podcast on the successes of the 2024 TCDC Council, or something equally brief.

The car itself could be replaced by a piece of ply wood painted to look like the back end of a police car. No need for any cameras, other than a CCTV one pointed at the people who stop when they don’t need to, and possibly over react.

So the smart money is on such a scheme being quietly introduced this summer, so I suggest you be wary. If you pass such a decoy the lack of a human gives it away. You will be able to sprint past without needing to slow down without consequence, although of course if you get it wrong?