QLD Transport Doesn’t Support Car Enthusiasts
April 19, 2007 by Alborz Fallah
It should be obvious to us car lovers in QLD that QLD transport would much prefer it if we all just packed up and moved to another state. While fear campaigns fail trying to bring the road toll below 300, genuine car enthusiasts looking to have some fun on the track are being shut down and forced back on the road.
Brisbane-based company Safe Drive Training (SDT) is the pioneer of drift training in Australia, having recently launched their overseas drift school in Japan, SDT currently runs schools in Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and India, yet they are not allowed to run a school in their home town of Brisbane.
SDT had conducted a drifting school at the Government-owned Mt Cotton Driver Training Centre before Transport Minister Paul Lucas put a stop to it.
“There is a definite need for more facilities in south-east Queensland, we are currently not offering something but talking to the people at Lakeside (International Raceway in northern Brisbane) and other land owners to establish a skidpan in the greater Brisbane area.” Safe Drive Training managing director Joel Neilsen
A few months ago I attended the Large Vehicle Maneuvering Area (LVMA) at Mt Cotton Driver Training centre to not only improve my driving skills in the wet and dry, but also (lets be realistic) to have some fun in a safe environment.
Arriving at 9am and waiting for the event to begin was perhaps the most exciting part of the whole day. Don’t get me wrong it was meant to be a good day with excited first timers (like myself) and experienced drivers all keen to participate, learn a few things and have some fun. That is all before the Nazi Noise Police showed up.
You would think that being at a Driver Training centre, the idea is simple, you are there to learn new skills and improve your driving ability whilst also putting in the effort (and paying money) to practice on a safe environment as oppose to breaking the law and performing the maneuvers on public roads and putting lives in danger.
Nonetheless, the noise police were more concerned about cars breaking the 90dB noise barrier than anything else. Not only was the testing conducted incorrectly (testing was conducted whilst other cars were on the track resulting in massive background noise) but given the relative remoteness of the area, the noise limit seemed a little irrelevant.
Either way more than half of the cars were told to go home (without a refund) as they did not meet the noise limit barrier, the whole event was stopped for a good 2 hours whilst these tests were conducted and the whole day turned into one big mess (although as you can see from the picture below, before the noise police showed up, we had some fun)
Of course QLD transport argues that residents living around the training centre complain about the excessive noise. Now I ask you Mr Lucas, what scenario would you rather prefer?
- Driver training is conducted on public roads by disgruntled enthusiast late at night endangering the public.
- Driver training is conducted in a safe environment by responsible enthusiasts wishing to have some fun, safely.
You have to remember that the Mt Cotton Driver training centre has been there long before the residents moved in around the area, and as the name suggests, it has one purpose, driver training.
Whilst we push for more alternative approaches in reducing the road toll, the QLD government simply goes the opposite way to block all possible means for Car enthusiasts to enjoy their cars on government owned property.
Shame on you QLD transport. When will someone in power wake up and realise that the current fear and “speed kills” mentality has not and will not reduce the road toll, we are no longer blind, revenue raising is not a safety initiative.
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Excellent post,
I agree with almost everything you said, except I don’t think you can blame the residents, I know the centre was there first but I can imagine being really pi55ed of if I had to wake up early on Saturday to the sound of 100 loud cars.
Although I think it is very important that the QLD Government faces the reality and provides car enthusiasts with some government funded property to do the things we cant do on the road!
Yeah, you CAN blame the residents. If the noise bothers you, why would you move there in the first place? Its your own dumb fault.
As for the police & government…god, back off. How about you focus on catching drunk drivers, murderers, rapists, bank robbers, car theives and pedophiles…instead of making thousands of car enthusiasts state and country wide, disrespect you because you come down WAY to hard on whether someone’s exhaust is too loud or their rear bar is just that little bit too low.
People pay a LOT of money for off-road courses to better their driving skills and hopefully lower the road toll. I would have thought this would be a government and qld police endorsed occurence, instead you just make enthusiasts miss out, and take it to the streets.
And for the record car enthusiast DOES NOT = HOON.
What a load of crap!
So they want to remove us from the road and they want to remove us from the track too?
Screw QLD transport, they cant do a thing about private tracks, I will always be taking my car to either willowbank or QLD raceway,
cant wait for lakeside to open!
Shame on your QLD transport, we are not all Hoons, our cars are not only in better condition than 90% of cars on the road but we are most probably better drivers,
We do these driving courses to become BETTER drivers, not Hoons,
get a life you bunch of old bastards
Is this government about saving lives… or making money?
If it were about saving lives, you would safely assume the following approaches to each moral dilemma might be adopted:
- Introduce the need to pass a mandatory basic driver training program in order to obtain an Learners permit
- Introduce the need to pass a mandatory advanced driver training program in order to obtain provisional license
- Introduce mandatory testing every five years to renew license (similar to current license test, with also a written component similar to learners test)
Instead, what we are given is the following:
- Roadside tax collectors (lets face it, thats all speed cameras are. The road toll has not gone down once since their introduction and rather than realise they arent working (except to make money), its merely used as an excuse to release more of them, and make more money, and so on and so forth)
- A licensing system which ensures that people who have no idea how to handle a vehicle in an emergency situation have the opportunity to be let loose on our roads (three cheers for public safety)
- An abundance of public money wasted on advertising campaigns (again, useless) and distorted statistics (example provided below) as a weak excuse to validate their fiscally driven policies.
Now, the example mentioned above is:
Did you know, that if a car is travelling at 60kph in wet conditions in a signposted 70kph Zone and becomes involved in a fatal accident, and the accident investigation reveals the safe driving speed at the time on that road was 50kph, they class that a SPEED RELATED DEATH even though the vehicle was travelling well below the posted speed limit.
So, given that they then total the figures for SPEED RELATED DEATHS (as per the example above) with ACTUAL speed related deaths (wherein the driver was exceeding the posted speed limit), you can clearly see how distorted these figures really are when they are being used as a ‘reason’ to valide the existence of deploying more speed detection devices (lets see how a speed decetion device would make on ounce of difference in the scenario above – so why use this fugure to validate its usage I ask?)
What really makes it worse, is the fact that no matter which minister from which party is given the transport portfolio, none of them will have the balls to fix the problem and do whats right to make our roads a safer place… be it for minority groups such as motoring enthusiasts (as outlined by the original writers review)… or be it for the motoring public in general (because there is too much money to be made).
So… until such time as someone proposes to fix the problem rathern than just use it as a money making scapegoat, How do you vote?… really… its just one greedy governement fatcat against another.
Sorry if this comment has veered off the tangent… I felt it was a necessary rant.
Thanks for reading
Thats a very well thought out comment Retox, thank you for sharing it!
I agree on all your points.
I am also at a lost as to when and who will come along and have the balls to say, we need to change it all, we need to introduce proper driver training.
Lot of Australians are against legalising guns here, mainly due to the “lack of training – and being in the wrong hands” I agree, Guns do not have a place in our society, but Cars do, and the same principle needs to apply,
if we are going license someone to drive, we need to make sure they have adequate training and education before they get behind the wheel.
It is ESSENTIAL that one of the state governments finally says
“We are enforcing mandatory driver training and relicensing every 5 years”
Plus if they were serious about Speed cameras saving lives, than prove it. Reduce the fines down to $20 or so to pay for admin costs, and double the points.
But they wont, because the governments need that money to operate, its part of their budgeting now! Much like Cigarette taxes.
I happen to know one of the residents who lives right next door to the Driver Training Centre – and you can barely hear what’s happening!
For starters there is massive amount of bushland around the centre and also there is a tip!
I would have thought that the smell would have been worth complaining about before the noise!!
i think the qld government is trying to ban performance cars altogether. look at what they’ve done to the people younger than 25. they’ve stopped us from driving our beloved turbo, supercharged cars. my brother has one and i was looking forward to driving it. and i totally i agree with you. car enthusiasts should have their chance to learn and have fun with their cars in a safe environment without the fear of getting caught by the cops. you might be stopping some people from hooning but there are still a lot more people out there on the roads having fun speeding and endangering other peoples lives.
I agree with what you have said, as well as what others have said in their comments.
The government relies on the money that they collect from speed cameras as well as defects to line their pockets, give themselves pay rises and build stupid transportation devices (i.e. the new tunnel). The amount of times I see run down, smoke-blowing rust-buckets on the road, speeding past me in my daily driving makes me feel sheer disgust for the DoT and Police. Instead of targeting these (mostly) low income drivers of SEVERELY unsafe vehicles, they pick on those who can afford to pay the fines up-front. They pick on cars that are (for the most-part) SAFER, more efficient vehicles just because there’s a gauge on the A pillar or the wheels look too big (slows a car down by the way).
I feel more comfortable driving my old, rusty, bald-tyred, 1800rpm idling, smoke blowing Pintara with completely unsafe, worn out suspension past the police than I do in my 200sx which happens to have no rust, a 900rpm idle, no smoke, excellent tyres, new suspension, good brakes and an exhaust which is not very loud at all for fear of being pulled over. My Pintara is LOUDER than my 200sx. It’s far more unsafe and it pollutes the air far more.
But hey, my 200sx looks good so it’s always worth pulling me over, right Officer Dibbles?
Get your priorities right and target the vehicles and drivers which just shouldn’t be on the road. Stop closing gates to prevent enthusiasts from learning more about themselves and their vehicles and forcing them back on to the streets.
what these knobs will never understand, is that 90% of the trouble on the road isnt comitted by highly modded vehicles. its usually backwards hatted 17 year olds in standard commodores with full sick clear tail lights etc etc.
then the police turn up, book the most modded cars, and leave, whilst the kids return and get away with it all over again.
I would have told the police to bugger off! The noise must be measured at the nearest residence to determine whether it’s a nuisance! (I’m a lawyer)
I think these news rules are fucking bullshit john howard and the transport department get go get fuck and jump off a bridge . who gives a fuck if some dumb fuck head kills them selfs it should make the rest of us suffer with these new fuck head laws . any1 who likes these laws is a fuck head i don’t give shit if some kills them selfs in there car its there fault.
if anyone from the transport deparment reads this contact me and then go shoot your self in the head before i do
I agree that the way the Government forms and implements its policies is purely for PR and getting votes. Based on performance they have failed miserably.
The Government’s strategy of demonzing a minority and only using the stick to change people’s behaviour is arrogant and misguided at best, alienating and deadly at worst.
Reality is that while the motorsport fraternity remains divided into hundreds of splinter groups, small but loud minorities of selfish individuals will be able to call the shots on the future of our sport.
Someone, please prove me wrong.
the other thing to realise about these new rules is that they are going to stop people under 25 competing in legal CAMS santioned motorsport that involves road use. by that i mean primarily rallying. CAMS is asking for a ruling on this but the law is the law. where does this leave Queensland Rallying… in the dark ages i guess. if this law was in place 5 years ago Chris Atkinson would never have made it to the WRC.
The same thing happened to Darlington Park Raceway which used to be nearby. A v8 supercar grade race track that was closed down due to a few complaints from people nearby.
I feel the same thing will happen here in W.A before long,raceways are being built or have been built in some paddock years ago ,away from suburbia.Then ..suburbia closes in on the race track and THEY GET THE BLAME FOR BEING NOISY!!!!!!!!!! Go build you 4 x 2 somewhere else ,if you don’t know your next to race track then thats tuff. Some of us would like FOOTBALL bloody Ovals not to be in the Middle of a City too ,but like those BOGANS get first F…. option where to be located. Motor Sport is big buisness in Australia now and STILL, does not get the recognition it deserves. I mean how much coverage does Yobo Football get on the News on Sat or Sunday ??? Compare that to Car racing of any description { yep not prime time time ha}. After all how many Car racing stars get banged up or are re-hab . It’s time Car Racing Fans stood up to these wankers.
Help S.A out and sign this
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/DRSA/index.html
Enjoy your early deaths you pathetic fools.
Please. What a joke. Driving is a privilege, not a right.
I shudder to think that you morons are driving around out there while I am.
Paul Lucas (and the zealots in Qld Transport) are a bunch of absolute morons.
They wouldn’t know or appraciate a decent car even if you gave them one.
The sooner he is sacked and replaced with a someone who actually understands and appraciates cars the better.
If we had a premier with a brain, he/she would be embarrassed by Paul Lucas’ idiotic behaviour. Instead we have a premier who is past it and cant think for himself, so the tabloid media scumbags run the the state by default.
You think you have it hard…try riding a motorbike on our magnificently maintained country roads and highways…
Responsible Motorist… how true what you state
I think that too many incompetent fools with absolutely no skill at all are being permitted access to our roads (which we payed for). For too long the government has gotten away with revoking the safer driver’s licence while envoking (corrections please) an unskilled driver’s licence. I was to move to QLD in 2 months, and make sure that for each hour of on-road practice, I get an hour of advanced driving training. Instead, it looks like I shall have to make do with regular driving courses from my parents and learn everything through practice at the track. Ah, Peter Beattie and Paul Lucas, Grow some balls so I can kick them.
I can’t get over that Mt Cotton has so much there, I go
past it allmost every weekend.
i’m a 17 year old guy with a crappy old car and i’ve completed the driver training course for the sole purpose to be able to go and do the drift course afterwards. however, thanks to the stupid queensland authorities, i can’t have some fun in a safe environment. its stupid acts like this that disable any motoring future for kids without a fortune to blow. if any figure in power reads these coments then please have a heart and some common sense and let us DRIFT! better there then on some street where a five year old gets run over!
Sorry I am a CAR Enthusiasts and I think Drifting S-?-s
really why can’t people grow up and get a life.
Looking after a Car as an investment is not revving the guts out of it to justify a form of hooning.
The Noise from these stainless steel exhaust systems should be banned and not used on public roads.
People enjoy owning/driving/competing in different types of cars and different forms of motorsport. Drifting has its origins in rallying which arguably demands the widest driving skill set which relates directly to commuter driving.
Investment may be in measured in the pleasure derived from participating in such events rather than just the $$$ you may get when a car is sold.
Also look at the cottage industries that surround motorsport, the technologies involved and the skill sets required. Now compare that to say cricket or football (no disrespect to these codes).
Motorsport is not hooning. Hoons are a subculture that expresses itself in various ways, have a look at the problems has football at time.
Airports have the same issues, yet in the US there are airport communities that realise the benefits that can be had from supporting such operations.
Hey i am a 17 year old teenager i just got my P’s and i think its stupid they try to bring in all these laws to make money and they dont change statistics at all and with all these P Plates rules under 200kw no turbo/supercharger etc its the stupidest thing ive ever heard so i can spend alot of money on a CRX or a MAZDA 121 and get it to 200Kw legally and leggally drive a small unsafe powerful car yet i cant even hop in a standard Rx7 because not aloud a rotary over 1184cc or something close to that yet a rx7 is bigger sfaer less powerful same with a V8 Commodore safer yet would still be slower and its 195Kw (VE) yet very safe
Also to THE GIANT
Just Because Someone Likes to Drift Doesnt Mean They Treat There Car Bad Most Drifters Are Car Enthusist i am and i love Drifting My Show Car i Find More Satisfaction knowing i can do that in such a nice looking car and not break it it adds a whole lot more meaning then just looking at the car if you are a real car enthusist you would like looking driving drifting (Unless you to crap your gonna crash it)and everything to do with cars and also Drifting isnt Hooning If you do it on Private Roads or Tracks Hooning Is Basicly Putting other peoples lives In Danger By Speeding or Drifting on Public Roads
Sorry not trying to be mean Just expressing my feeling like you have
Thanks
Kyle
One More Thing Just Incase Some Dont Understand The Thing ABout 200kw etc
This is just an example i dont know the acctuall Weight
a 800KG car @ 200KW (E.G. CRX) is going to go faster than a
1600KG Car @ 200kw Even Tho This Car IS Supercharged (E.G. Supercharged Commodore)
and the CRX would be less safe than the commodore
Teenagers are still Going to kill Themselves in a 64Kw FWD Shitbox (Its Called a Hand Brake) So These Power Rules Make No Sense Unless They brought in a KW-Weight Ratio It Would Make Alot More Sense and make things alot safer
If Anyone From The Transport Department or Anyone Who has anything to do with these laws Please Contact Me My Email Is Kyleiam@hotmail.com
Thanks
Kyle
I am 49 and agree with alot of what has been said here. Do the authorities really want it to be and US and THEM society. These boys have been denied any dangers in schools for the past 20 years -cant go canoeing, cant run on the cement, cant run near poles, no swings not nothing -now no cart wheels and red pen. Few had male teachers in primary years and none had them at child care. Then we wonder why they want to do something dangerous when they are 18??? Then we wonder why this age is suicide prone??? I for one have had enough of the over regulated workplace namby pamby laws that exist all over Australia for the sole purpose of just making somebody a dollar and restriccting others freedoms. We face this regulation in nearly every area of life. When will the madness stop? Its not the Australia I grew up in. Not to mention we will sue you over anything. We cant even have loacl shows anymore. The liability insurance is too high. Will some REAL MEN in senior policing and other ares of Government read this and realize that you need the population WITH you if your going to continue like this. Prove to these young Australians that you not just money hungry picking on the best car in the street. Man I cant even put pump up shocks on my car to tow the boat anymore. Please -is somebody listening? I dont think anybody is. Last May Queensland Transport canned the most fuel efficient vehicle on the roads -(the 4 stroke motorized bicycle-I agree with axing the 2 strokes) Lets get rid of something that has been around over 30 years. Actually Honda started as a motorized bicycle company. Please guys stop the regulatory rot in Australia -in building, councils, water, roads , tolls, and the list goes on. What will it take for councils, state Govts and federal Govts to listen???? -think about it.