reducing speed limits won't save lives

residents of the Mount Lofty Ranges region have until October 23 to convince the Adelaide Hills Council to see reason in regard to proposed speed limit reductions.

Blanket reduction of the speed limit throughout the region is unlikely to reduce the road toll.

Idiots with lead feet and small gentleman's equipment are STILL going to go fast, no matter what. Threats of vehicle crushing, licence revoking and huge financial penalties have had no effect so far.

what WILL happen if speeds are reduced is that there will be more people driving more slowly on the already congested roads. It will mean that a return trip to Adelaide will take 4 hours out of my day excluding whatever business i may have there.

It will substantially eat into rest and recreation time for already tired commuters living in this region.

it will reduce fuel efficiency and increase air pollution.

it will probably increase accidents from drivers having to constantly watch their speedometer [the SA Police have zero tolerance limits] and certainly increase revenue from speeding fines.

but it won't stop the hoons.

If you live in or travel through the Mount Lofty Ranges of South Australia, write to the Adelaide Hills Council and tell them what you think.

here's the address

puddleducking

a watercolour day with storms and puddles and muddy rivers

flowing across the road

just perfect for a walk in the park

and the best weather for looking at plants

in the Mount Lofty Botanic Garden

no fairweather tourists filming the lilies

just happy Kurrawongs

and cheerful ducks

pootling about in the raindrops

on the way thither

dodging giant splashes from urban SUVs storming through the water

like Stormtroopers on their way to some

imaginary Front

[they'll have to get another can of spray on dust, he he]

i heard another sample of idiocy on the wireless

that Australian farmers [about to be penalised for the emissions from their ruminant stock]

can't claim credit for any trees planted prior to 1990

apparently the Government has already included those in their

'stocktake' submitted for Kyoto

so if your farm is full [of trees] and you want to claim carbon credits against potential ovine or bovine flatulence

then as the policy stands at present it is apparently legal to chop them down

and replant with seedlings

who cares that standing trees [and coal, for that matter]

are the best means of storing carbon

nonetheless, despite muttering about carbon credits from one side of their mouths,

those in power are still subsidising the woodchipping of old growth forests in Tasmania

click here to visit the Wilderness Society's page and view their video...

oh, and the icing on the cake is the suggestion [also picked up from the wireless] that in the event your farm in burned in a fire you may well find yourself paying an emissions tax!

new heights of idiocy for beaurocracy

whilst in Canberra (our nation's capital) last week various gems of governmental gossip floated past my shell-like ears. the usual response is to chuckle, stifle a yawn and order another Margharita...but the following piece of nonsense is too ridiculous to be ignored

apparently some bright spark who clearly has too much time on their hands has decided that farmers also need extra entertainment. the plan is that we are to weigh all of our stock individually on a quarterly basis, advise the tax office of the total weight and then be taxed on the estimated methane output.

every farmer i've shared this story with so far has given the same response ...'if that's the plan, we'll sell the sheep/cows/chickens/pigs/wildebeests and plant trees instead'...and that's our plan as well

enjoy eating your tree-flavoured cereal in years to come, washed down with soy 'milk' because there won't be any steaks, chops or bacon and certainly no yummy milkshakes

soylent green, here we come...