This is the latest brainwave to try and fix the school zone problem?

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/dragons-teeth-headed-for-nsw-schools-20090524-bjat.html

What would work better to tell a drivers WHEN it's school zone time?

(A)

Or (b)

$14 million dollars to paint triangles that will wear and fade and will not work effectively.

Drivers can't see three signs leading up to a speed camera, why would dragon teeth work?

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MEDIA RELEASE

24 May 2009

SCHOOL ZONE DRAGON'S TEETH SHOW
GOVERNMENT HAS LOST THE PLOT

School zone lights campaigner Peter Olsen has today slammed the government over its proposal to spend $13M painting new road markings around school zones.

The Government has completely lost the plot on school zones. Static markings, including the proposed new "dragon's teeth" achieve nothing because they do not distinguish between school zone hours and non-school zone hours. The proposal is a criminal waste of taxpayer's money, especially during a recession.

If a responsible driver drives through a certain school zone every day at say 7.45am, he becomes conditioned to ignore it, dragon's teeth or not. If he is delayed in traffic once a month and drives through at 8.05am, there is nothing to warn him. As a result he becomes a threat to children and a convenient revenue source for the Government.

If the school zone instead has flashing lights, drivers are instantly reminded and can slow down, but then of course the Government can no longer collect speeding fine revenue from them.

It is obvious that the Premier does not drive and it would appear that the Roads Minister has also forgotten what it is like. Any driver asked will say that flashing lights are the only effective warning system.

For what the Government intends to waste on pointless road markings they could install five flashing light signs at every single school in NSW, if they were to adopt more cost effective technology.

The RTA has been given the technology to use for nothing. RTA figures show that is more reliable and more effective at reducing speed than the RTA's own lights, yet still they refuse to use it, preferring instead to waste taxpayers' money on ineffective road markings.

For more information contact Peter Olsen, 0414-538-404.

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A press conference was held with all the big wigs adorned in fluro safety gear announcing this great initiative while watching triangles being painted on a road.

Forget the paint brushes, flashing lights are the only real solution.