Yet Another Traffic Incident - Questions of a Gadfly

Internal combustion powered bikes of all sizes are common in the Bellingen area and NSW. The mostly unlicensed, unregistered and uninsured trail bikes/motorcycles drive on private lands, public roads, forests and National Parks. The roaring noise pollution can be heard over great distances.

Recently a woman walking across a pedestrian crossing at a shopping centre was was hit by a motorcyle. "Five young people were allegedly involved in a 'callous' hit-and-run incident...the CCTV captured the group driving dangerously." Police reported that "at this time of year of course you've got kids on school holidays... sometimes kids are unsupervised" (source) The woman "suffered catastrophic injuries" (very severe head injuries) and her life support was switched off. Andrea Lehane, 34, left behind two small children and a partner.

As with the usual daily car-nage there are a few days of news of the 'mini-motorcycle crash'. With such 'accidents' follows the usual public mourning (on social media) which takes the form of roadside memorials, candlelight vigils, altars, plastic balloons, flower arrangements and the collection of money. After that they all proceed to 'hit the road' of climate extremes again and 'business as usual.'

 
In a car dependent nation, 'accidents' are integral to this mode of transport. The 'road toll' appears to be like a sacrifice to fossil fuel mobility. The daily killing and maiming, the 'hit and run', road-kill and road-rage, driveway 'incidents' and burnouts hog the news. Vehicles are 'out of control' in a dysfunctional system of mobility.

In the above case charges have been laid: " Caleb Jakobsson, 18, has been charged with culpable driving, failing to stop and render assistance, unlicensed driving and using an unregistered motorcycle. "

"A 17-year-old from Seaford has been charged with reckless conduct endangering life, reckless conduct endangering persons, as well as charges for unlicensed riding of an unregistered vehicle..." (source)  A 15-year-old boy was released without charge." (source).

Questions a social gadfly might ask:

Why is it unsafe to walk on a pedestrian crossing in a public area?
Why is it risky to walk?
Why did a human being have to die?

Why were minors out of control?
Why were the children/adult so ‘calous’ to not stop at the pedestrian crossing?
Where was their socialised ‘impulse control’ to refrain and stop once they realised a person was injured?
Will the carers of the offending children change their pedagogic regime?
What did the parents/ carers think where these unlicensed and unregistered trail bikes were going?

Who gave permission for minors to ride these machines?
What sort of 're-creation' (for children) is this?

Why is this suffering and damage bestowed on a household?
Will the damage done to those left behind be 'compensated' by the families of the minors?

Why were unregistered bikes tolerated in the street/ suburb and city/state?
Will people intervene when seeing/hearing vehicles not allowed on roads?

Where was the effective enforcement?
Will the regulator/s take action?
Why is motor racing as 'sport' or 'recreation' modelled as desirable?

Why are all participants and social agents so tolerant of lawbreaking?

Will anything meaningfully change?

Links:
https://www.productsafety.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/974443

Images:
Angels (Angelus Novus) - a meditation on progress

Noise Pollution and Vibration in the Bellingen Shire

On the 15th May the Royal Australian Air Force will fly jets day and night until 10.30 pm over the Bellingen Shire. (source)

The morning chorus of rural Bellingen usually consists of chainsaws. During the day the cacophony is enriched by mowers, slashers, lawn trimmers, sweepers, mulchers, chippers, shredders, bulldozers and other fossil fuel powered equipment. Cars speed on unpaved roads, cavalcades of mining and logging trucks thunder through the shire and the scenic little village. Hovering (pesticide spray) helicopters and sightseeing planes ensure that the sky is also abuzz with noise pollution. On weekends gangs of trail bikes rev up. At night the odd out of control ad hoc party distributes its industrial sound waves over the valley. The barking and yapping packs of dogs will be ignored here, as the focus is on machines powered with fossil fuel.

As a special annual event, the Bellingen shire (and Nambucca, Bellingen, Coffs Harbour and Clarence Valley council areas) puts itself on the map by hosting car races. " 200 kilometres of NSW forest roads will be used for a three-day car race." (source)  The fossil fuel burning spectacle is generating a lot of noise and dust. During that time, "the public is being denied access to various state owned forests." (source) Local endemic wildlife better not be near the many roads fragmenting their habitat.

Back to the aerial machines: “Up to 18 aircraft may be involved in these exercises, of which the major part will be conducted further off the coast, however northern NSW residents may notice aircraft activity this week." The aircraft will be the "F/A-18F Super Hornets from RAAF Base Amberley, near Brisbane and F/A-18 Hornet aircraft from RAAF Base Williamtown, near Newcastle." (source)

Ron Brent, Australia's Aircraft Noise Ombudsman, mentioned that the F/A-18s  "when used at full power... are among the noisiest planes we've seen here in Australia". (source)

In other places, aircraft noise has caused 'friction with surrounding residents'. One resident 'recorded jet noises as loud as 100 decibels at home.' "According to the RAAF, at Ludmilla Primary School the average maximum noise of an F/A-18 Hornet taking off from the RAAF Base Darwin is 92.6dB." (source)

A resident reported her experiences: "The whole house literally shakes...It's impossible to conduct conversations. You can't hear the radio...You feel the sound waves hitting your body...The worst part is not being able to predict when the noise will come...You don't know when it's coming. It's Chinese water torture...Then you start to hear it coming and your whole body tenses.." (source)

Celebrating Fossil Fuel Culture on Forest Roads
Staging Car Races in Nine State Forests of NSW

Images
Graffiti in the public sphere