Cornered by the RTA: truckies fined avoiding fatal accident site
The State Government was accused of trying to profit from a fatal road accident after drivers, forced on to a detour route, were fined almost $1,000 each for being on the wrong road, according to a report in The Daily Telegraph.
The report says Roads and Traffic Authority officers were handing out the penalties knowing there was a fatality just hours earlier and traffic was being diverted towards them.
The incident occurred last month when a woman travelling on the Pacific Highway at Urunga was killed in a collision with two trucks.
The road was closed in both directions and traffic was diverted along an alternative route.
However, as the route was not a designated B-double route - for large double-trailer trucks - a queue of trucks had nowhere to go.
After two hours RTA officials in Sydney authorised police to escort the trucks on the new route. Yet down the road at Halfway Creek an RTA inspection station was pulling over and issuing fines of $980 each to the truckies for using the roads.
Documents obtained by The Daily Telegraph reportedly also show that the officer issuing the fines was aware of the accident but handed out the penalties regardless.
The first driver fined, Tim Heywood, was said to be helping police block the accident scene with his vehicle.
He told The Daily Telegraph that when he reached the inspection station later: "They 'breached' me with an off-route B-double ticket and informed me that any other B-double who came down would be 'breached' as well."
Mr Heywood said he explained the situation - to no avail.
After being contacted by The Daily Telegraph the RTA admitted fining three drivers but said the fines would be waived.
"(An RTA) investigation has established the three infringement notices should be withdrawn because of the extenuating circumstances," the agency said.
Yet, far from having the notice withdrawn, Mr Heywood said he last week received a reminder notice that payment was overdue.
Earlier today, however, the RTA has reassured T&Lnews that all fines issued in relation to this incident will be waived and the reminder to pay was a computer-generated document sent to the drivers automatically, before the fines were cancelled.
If you were fined by the RTA at the site or were otherwise involved, T&Lnews would like to hear from you – send your comments to info@TandLnews.com.au.
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