In the ACT I'm told the 40 zones are 24 hours but I don't know if it is for just school days or seven days a week??? Another strange one.

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8am - 4pm from memory. On school days only.

Bad luck JB,

However, you may have a way out with a recent loophole a certain lawyer found. I was watching Today Tonight either last week or the week before, where someone got nabbed doing in excess of 30k's over the school zone limit. His lawyer argued that there wasn't enough necessary advice given to drivers about when the zones operate and so forth. The magistrate ruled in his favour and reduced the penalty from loss of licence to a small fine, as technically he was still over the limit.

I suggest you try and dig up this episode from either the TT website or somehow try and make contact with this lawyer.

Space

JB,

In NSW there is (was?) the 200m rule. That was you could not be booked for speeding within 200meters of a change of speed sign from the previously posted limit. The means that if you go from a 80 zone into a 40 zone, for 200m you could not get booked for 80 in the 40 zone.

I am not sure if this was changed with the introduction of schoole zones, I seem to remember that they wanted to change it as most school zones are only a few hunderd meters anyway.

I would fight it and take heaps of pics of the zone and how confusing all the signs are.

I have heard through the grapevine that you can write a letter stating your case and pleeding for re-consideration?

Can any of the police members clarify this? Who do I write to?

I am documenting everything, as I plan to take this to court.

I have nothing but admiration for you JB, the way you are handling this is amicable. Sorry to hear though, and like everyone else I can understand how easy it is to slip up and get caught for something so insignificant that can cause so much grief.

I got pulled over a few years back on Herston Rd up here, it was posted as 50 but all of the signs in my direction of travel were covered by overhanging trees. The officers at the time really couldn’t care about my plea, and obviously it was exactly this that they were cashing in on. Luckily I went and took photos though as coincidently the trees were all trimmed two days later and have been ever since, the fine was overturned in the end but it still doesn’t make you feel much better after wasting your time with such a trivial thing in the first place.

So do your homework and go for it buddy, you’ve got nothing to lose. You seem to be pretty switched on so it wouldn’t hurt to brush yourself up on the legislation while you’re at it – you may even find that illustrious loophole to squeeze through.

Trent.

Thanks Trent, Like I said I think I am a pretty reasonable bloke and happy to take things on the chin if deserved, but this I feel I have been done wrong by.

As I said my beef is not with the officer, more the attitude and lack of common sense by our politicians, if this was private/corporate industry, and I had implemented a programme like this in my job, I suggest I would no longer be employed!

My advise, borrow your wifes car. drive without a liscence its only a month. The way the road rules are getting u have no chance keeping your liscence. So what else can u do?? 25 over limit isnt hard to do. stupid

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Great Idea.............but what happens if he is involved in an accident? Even if he was not the at fault driver.....No Licence = No Insurance.........No Insurance = Say goodbye to everything you own if someone is injured!

Too big a risk in my book!

It’s all about winning elections my friend.

Didn’t you know that speed kills, and nothing else matters? That’s why the government(s) must focus most of the police resources into catching anyone that exceeds the posted speed limit, regardless of the surrounding environment and circumstances.

Keep your chin up mate, take it all the way and show them who is a decent motorist and doesn't deserve this crap!

Trent.

Tough break JB. Like others have said, I'd be documenting everything and taking this one to court. The rules with school zones are very sketchy and the whole thing has been implemented very poorly by the Government. With a good traffic lawyer you'd have to be a chance of at least keeping your license and having the fine reduced. Best of luck

My advise, borrow your wifes car. drive without a liscence its only a month. The way the road rules are getting u have no chance keeping your liscence. So what else can u do?? 25 over limit isnt hard to do. stupid

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Great Idea.............but what happens if he is involved in an accident? Even if he was not the at fault driver.....No Licence = No Insurance.........No Insurance = Say goodbye to everything you own if someone is injured!

Too big a risk in my book!

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Well if you work out the probability of having a accident in that period of time you will find it to be extremely low. U will probably find you will have just as much chance of getting run over while crossing the road.