Shuff's General Chat Thread ... #73 - Talk about anything and everything...  

We normal people are being pushed out of the market by the cashed-up individuals, who I suspect see these cars as "investments", rather than a form of transport.

I have moved to another hobby which offers a much better value proposition, still offers a DIY aspect to it and a relatively large community behind it, so it doesn't bother me that much.

Unpopular new road rule dramatically scaled back

The NSW government has announced it will make significant changes to its ‘slow down to 40’ rule for motorists passing emergency vehicles after a 12-month trial prompted concern from drivers.

During the trial motorists were forced to slow down to 40km/h in any speed limit when passing stationary emergency vehicles displaying flashing blue or red lights.

“Community feedback regarding the rule in its current form was generally negative,” Transport for NSW said.

According to the findings from their trial, drivers noted that slowing to 40km/h was difficult to achieve and in many incidents “created additional risks”.

Transport Minister Andrew Constance and Minister said 926 infringements were issued during the 12-month trial for motorists breaching the rule.

While the rule hasn’t been scrapped altogether it has been cut back significantly and now includes tow trucks and breakdown assistance vehicles displaying flashing yellow lights.

“We’ve monitored the impact of the rule over the past year and taken on board feedback from the public and stakeholders about the trial. We’re now implementing changes to make the rule safer for everyone,” Mr Constance said.

Vehicles must now only adhere to the rule in a 80 zone or lower.

If on a road where the speed limit is 90 or higher, motorists must slow down to a speed “reasonable for the circumstances”.

Motorists must give as much space to emergency vehicles as possible when passing and should change lanes where possible to keep the lane next to the vehicle free.

Around 85 per cent of crashes between 2014 and 2018 where emergency service vehicles were stopped at the roadside happened in 80km/h speed zones and below, Transport for NSW noted.