From: Sylvia Else on
On 1/07/2010 12:16 AM, Kev wrote:
> Milton wrote:
>>
>> "Kev" <kevcat(a)optunet.com.au> wrote in message
>> news:4c2aff6e$0$17173$afc38c87(a)news.optusnet.com.au...
>>> Milton wrote:
>>>>
>>>> "Sylvia Else" <sylvia(a)not.here.invalid> wrote in message
>>>> news:88ljgeF1tnU1(a)mid.individual.net...
>>>>> Took me a while to find this - reporters seem to take the rule about
>>>>> not revealing their sources a bit too literally
>>>>>
>>>>> <http://www.dpc.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/95797/F3_REPORT_2010.pdf>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Sylvia.
>>>>
>>>> That's some report. I wonder how many hundred thousands that cost?
>>>>
>>>> Regards
>>>>
>>>> Milton
>>>
>>>
>>> A report to state the obvious
>>> you don't wanna know
>>>
>>>
>>> Kev
>>
>> And I'd reckon you're right Kev. What has it achieved?
>
> Recommended to the idiots to do the bleeding obvious next time
>
> Kev

It wasn't quite as simple as the RTA not having done the obvious. A
combination of factors arose:

1) No one at the scene had the authority to make the decision to
implement a contra-flow.

2) The estimates for the time before the road could reopen were
initially quite inaccurate, leading the decision makers to believe that
the road would reopen before a contra-flow could be implemented.

3) A realisation that it would take much longer didn't reach the
decision makers until two or three hours after the realisation.

4) The decision makers weren't proactive in seeking regular updates, so
that they didn't realise that (3) had occurred.

But it also looked like a fairly typical example of an orginsation's
inability to respond appropriately to a delay whose estimate keeps
extending, because it always looks as if a particular decision is not
appropriate given the current estimate, even though it would have been
appropriate in hindsight.

To my mind, as soon as there is a major accident on the F3, the RTA
should start implementing the contra-flow (and why does that take two
hours?). If the situation is resolved before the contra-flow is in
operation, then it can be cancelled.

As an aside (it didn't affect when the contra-flow was implemented),
when special equipment needs to be sent to an accident scene (as in this
case) it should have a police escort to avoid the situation where
stranded road-users think they're seeing queue-jumping, and seeking to
prevent it.

Sylvia.