Green light for shule in Victoria
The Jewish Community Council of Victoria has completed negotiation for automatic green lights for shul-goers on Jewish Festivals.
John Searle
John Searle, president of the Jewish Community Council of Victoria, the peak body of Victorian Jewry, said today:
“During the High Holydays in 2008, some pedestrians encountered problems crossing the road at various intersections. The JCCV took responsibility for sorting out this matter with VicRoads, and as a result auto-introductions (ie an automatic ‘green man’) were set up in December 2008 at a number of high-use pedestrian intersections for Shabbat and Festivals at no cost to the Jewish community.
As there have been occasional system failures over the past eighteen months, JCCV executive director Geoffrey Zygier and business manager Hilary McMahon recently met with senior VicRoads management in an attempt to resolve the issue.
At this meeting, Tony Fitts, Manager of Traffic Systems (East) for VicRoads, undertook to continue this service to the Jewish community. While VicRoads will make every effort to ensure the smooth operation of the system, Mr Fitts nonetheless warned that the system is not infallible and that glitches can occur for a variety of technical reasons. These may include problems with the Telstra phonelines that underpin the system, computer down-time and traffic flow on ‘minor’ roads. Mr Fitts further noted that pedestrians still have a responsibility to watch out for their own safety and that of other people in their care.
The JCCV has provided VicRoads with Festival dates until 2018 and has also agreed to send a reminder at the commencement of each calendar year.”
The JCCV told J-Wire that the green light program has been in place for Shabbat since December, 2008.
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When is the RTA going to follow suit in NSW? For much too long frum Jews have had to dodge the traffic in and around Old South Head Road on Shabbos and yom tovs. Surely the RTA could install automated traffic lights? Waverley Council has tried several times to get agreement on this from the RTA and all the RTA has done is to drag their heels.