City of Sydney vehicles rack up $50,000 worth of fines
City of Sydney vehicles have been fined more than 160 times for breaking road safety rules, with staff copping almost 100 fines for speeding and running red lights.
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City of Sydney vehicles have been fined more than 160 times for breaking road safety rules, with staff copping almost 100 fines for speeding and running red lights.
Despite Lord Mayor Clover Moore’s council pushing to slow traffic down to just 30km/h in the city, The Daily Telegraph can reveal that council’s own vehicles have been caught speeding 58 times.
The speeding fines are among almost $50,000 worth of traffic fines racked up by City of Sydney vehicles over the past five years.
Council vehicles got 31 parking fines, and were caught running red lights 60 times.
Nine vehicles were fined for driving in bus lanes, and five staff were caught using mobile phones while driving.
In total, 39 City of Sydney staff have been fined in council vehicles, with one employee fined an extraordinary eight times over five years.
Ratepayers are being forced to pick up the bill for fines where drivers are unable to be identified.
In answers to Questions on Notice prepared last week, the council said some drivers still had not been pinned to the 163 fines issued. By yesterday, the council had found all drivers responsible, a spokeswoman said.
The City has now been accused of hypocrisy over its push for lower speed limits in the CBD.
“It really is a case of do as I say, not as I do,” Liberal councillor Lyndon Gannon said.
“Clover and City staff are constantly talking about wanting to slow our streets down to 30km, and yet we find out there has been 163 fines handed out for driving related offences to staff – 58 of them for speeding,” he said.
“I think we may have to look at putting speed limiters on these vehicles,” Mr Gannon said.
Some fines have been challenged but the Council does not know what happened to the penalties after the drivers responsible for the infringements were identified.
In a statement, a City of Sydney spokesman said that 1,141 staff are authorised to drive the council’s 248 vehicles. Staff undergo an “authorisation process” on safe driving before they are allowed to get behind the wheel.
“All employees are required to immediately report any incident or infringement involving a council vehicle and are required to pay all fines or penalties imposed,” the spokesman said.
“If an employee receives two or more infringements in a 12-month period the City of Sydney will review that person’s right to drive.
“The City looks at their driving record, and the severity and nature of the offences, when making its determination.”
The councils said it had “no record” of Ms Moore, the council’s CEO, or any other directors driving or riding in a vehicle that was caught breaking the rules.
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