Ryan Bridge: This country's fines make no sense

This country's fines make no sense. 

you can get$70 for parking a few minutes over in the wrong spot, $150 for driving in a bus lane at the wrong time, which is the same texting while driving, an act that could, in theory, distract you enough to kill somebody on the road.

So what gives? 

You get $30 for going a few Kms over 100 on a main road. 

Anyone who's been to Australia knows things are different. Way harsher. People, generally, follow the rules as a result. 

Burt that doesn't mean nobody's crashing and dying on their roads, does it. 

The problem is revenue gathering. If you actually set the fines based on the potentially damage an action may cause, we'd have a totally different system and set of punishments. 

But you'd also have councils and cops who take the piss and revenue grab - speeding cameras in areas nobody's seen a crash in decades. 

That's basically why we are where we are. 

There is one change they can make that I support - free parking for over 80s. 

Gore already does it. Oamaru is looking at doing it. 

They've got new parking meters installed in December and it's apparently, according to Age Concern, making the elderly anxious. 

They're digital. You get two hours free but then have to enter your details for a third hour.

The fear of getting a $70 ticket is too much for them so they just don't drive into town. That's a massive setback for an older person. 

That's less chatting to people in the mall, shop-owners and cafe owners, less socialising. 

If you've made it to 80, you deserve to head into town. In your own car. Without being scared of half yah pension flying out the window in fines.

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