Latest news with #TransportforNSW
Daily Mail
16 hours ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Wild reason new mum was hit with $410 driving fine
A mum who was pumping breastmilk in the passenger seat of a car has been hit with a $410 traffic fine because she had adjusted the position of her seatbelt. Illiya was snapped by an overhead traffic camera on her way home from the Randwick Racecourse, in Sydney, at 7.30pm on February 24. Her husband had been driving while she was using a cordless breast pump for their seven-month-old baby, who was being looked after by a babysitter. The mum said she did not want to pump breastmilk at the function and had instead decided to do it on the way home in the privacy of their car. Despite her seatbelt sitting only partially below her chest, Illiya was still slapped with a traffic infringement notice. She was sent the $410 fine and a photo of the moment she had been using the pump in the mail. The photo showed that the seatbelt was still fastened and Illiya disputed the fine. However, Transport for NSW said it was standing by the penalty. The road authority argued that seatbelts had been around for more than 50 years because they save lives. Illiya was told her appeal had been rejected and she has since reluctantly paid up. According to NSW law, seatbelt rules are enforced to ensure the safety of passengers and they should not be repositioned in any way. 'The lap portion of a seatbelt should lie across your hips and the sash should fall across your chest and mid-shoulder,' the appeal rejection letter she received from Transport NSW said. 'The photos clearly show the passengers seatbelt was not positioned across their chest.' But Illiya argued there were extraordinary circumstances because there could be health issues if she delayed pumping the milk such as clogged ducts, mastitis and infection. 'You can see in the photo I am wearing the seatbelt but it's a bit lower, under my boob, because of where the pump was,' she told 'I totally get if I was holding the baby or if the seatbelt wasn't on but it was.' A Transport NSW spokesperson said seatbelts should be worn 'low, flat and firm'. 'The rules around seatbelt use in NSW have been in place for more than 50 years and the reason is simple – seatbelts save lives,' they told Daily Mail Australia. 'Each life lost on our roads was someone's loved one – a parent, a child, a sibling, a friend. The impact on families and communities is devastating. 'Wearing a seatbelt properly – low, flat and firm – doubles your chances of surviving a crash. 'Whether you are driving or are a passenger, please prioritise safety every time you're on the road.' Wearing a seatbelt doubles the chance of survival if a car were to be involved in a crash. Adjusting the seatbelt to be below the chest could cause injuries to the liver, spleen or abdomen which could lead to death or disability in the event of a crash. In 2024, 33 people died because they were not wearing their seatbelts properly.
The Age
21 hours ago
- Business
- The Age
The yellow Mercedes, bundles of cash, and meeting near the Big Merino
A road contractor has claimed an allegedly corrupt Transport for NSW official hassled him relentlessly to pay bundles of cash of up to $120,000 for inflating work contracts, and even pressed him to buy a luxury Mercedes-Benz car. An anti-corruption inquiry heard that Capital Lines & Signs director Andrew Stewart met the then-Transport for NSW manager Ibrahim Helmy on at least 10 occasions between May 2020 and 2024, including in a McDonald's car park near the Big Merino at Goulburn, where he handed over $85,000 in cash. Stewart confirmed that he paid Helmy cash of between $20,000 and $110,000 on each of their eight meetings, including payments of $100,000 on two occasions. '[Helmy] was relentless. He'd ring me out of the blue, and he would always harass me for money,' he told the inquiry. He also said that Helmy pressed him to pay in cryptocurrency, and that he wanted him to buy him a yellow Mercedes-Benz CLA45-S class car and put it in his sister's name. The inquiry was shown a text message Helmy sent to Stewart on February 17, 2023, which contained a photo of a yellow Mercedes-Benz car. Stewart said that Helmy had told him in a conversation two days earlier that he wanted him to buy him the car worth about $130,000. 'All I said to him was I'll look at it,' Stewart recalled to the inquiry. 'He sent me the details … but I never purchased the car. I did look online.' The Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating allegations Helmy was the mastermind behind corrupt relationships with nine companies, including Capital Lines & Signs, that were paid at least $343 million in contracts by Transport for NSW. Helmy, 38, is alleged to have pocketed $11.5 million in kickbacks – including bundles of cash, gold bullion and cryptocurrency – over 15 years from contractors, in return for them being awarded work. He failed to appear before the ICAC in May and police have a warrant out for his arrest.
Sydney Morning Herald
21 hours ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
The yellow Mercedes, bundles of cash and meeting near the Big Merino
A road contractor has claimed an allegedly corrupt Transport for NSW official hassled him relentlessly to pay bundles of cash of up to $120,000 for inflating work contracts, and even pressed him to buy a luxury Mercedes-Benz car. An anti-corruption inquiry heard that Capital Lines & Signs director Andrew Stewart met the then-Transport for NSW manager Ibrahim Helmy on at least 10 occasions between May 2020 and 2024, including in a McDonald's car park near the Big Merino at Goulburn, where he handed over $85,000 in cash. Stewart confirmed that he paid Helmy cash of between $20,000 and $110,000 on each of their eight meetings, including payments of $100,000 on two occasions. '[Helmy] was relentless. He'd ring me out of the blue, and he would always harass me for money,' he told the inquiry. He also said that Helmy pressed him to pay in cryptocurrency, and that he wanted him to buy him a yellow Mercedes-Benz CLA45-S class car and put it in his sister's name. The inquiry was shown a text message Helmy sent to Stewart on February 17, 2023, which contained a photo of a yellow Mercedes-Benz car. Stewart said that Helmy had told him in a conversation two days earlier that he wanted him to buy him the car worth about $130,000. 'All I said to him was I'll look at it,' Stewart recalled to the inquiry. 'He sent me the details … but I never purchased the car. I did look online.' The Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating allegations Helmy was the mastermind behind corrupt relationships with nine companies, including Capital Lines & Signs, that were paid at least $343 million in contracts by Transport for NSW. Helmy, 38, is alleged to have pocketed $11.5 million in kickbacks – including bundles of cash, gold bullion and cryptocurrency – over 15 years from contractors, in return for them being awarded work. He failed to appear before the ICAC in May and police have a warrant out for his arrest.
News.com.au
21 hours ago
- Business
- News.com.au
About 100 jobs to be cut at TAFE NSW after cuts to transport, regional development agencies
About 100 jobs at TAFE NSW are set to be slashed in the latest round of job cuts to rock the state's public service. Almost 1000 roles were put on the chopping block last week at Transport for NSW, and another 165 at the state's only dedicated regional department. The cuts to TAFE will not affect teaching roles, and instead reportedly include administrative staff at the digital, and product and quality divisions. A spokesperson for TAFE NSW said the teaching organisation was 'changing its model to better align' with the needs of students, industry and the community. That would include 'consolidating some roles across the organisation', the spokesperson said. 'Last week, TAFE NSW employees were invited to participate in consultation on additional changes to the operating model, which includes the identification of approximately 100 (net) roles that may no longer be required. None of these roles will be teaching positions,' the spokesperson said. 'These proposed changes are in line with the recommendations from the 2024 NSW VET Review, and support delivery commitments in the 2025 TAFE NSW Charter. 'Until the consultation, review and placement process is complete, final positions and their locations will not be known. TAFE NSW will continue to keep all stakeholders informed as this process continues.' The spokesperson said about 500 new positions had been added since 2023, 'bringing more teachers to TAFE NSW'. Internal documents seen by The Daily Telegraph reportedly state the cuts would predominantly be focused on middle management positions. Premier Chris Minns campaigned on slashing senior public servant roles by 15 per cent. The cuts to TfNSW and the Department of Primary Industry and Regional Development are understood to be part of these cuts.
Time Out
a day ago
- Business
- Time Out
Sydney Metro West is coming to life – with tunnel boring now 90 per cent complete
Parramatta is poised for growth – set to transform into a cultural and creative hub over the next 25 years. With a fast-growing population and a wave of major businesses moving in, it's clear the area is on the rise. But with all this development comes the need for better housing and smarter transport. Transport for NSW has promised to bring to life a metro line that will take Sydneysiders from the CBD to Parramatta in 20 minutes flat in the form of the Sydney Metro West – and the people of Parra are waiting. In good news, there was tangible progress to celebrate earlier this week, with tunnel boring for the project now 90 per cent complete, and plans for the huge new metro station in the heart of "Sydney's second CBD" are taking shape. After 17 months of grinding through solid rock, the tunnel boring machine (TBM) Dorothy – named after human rights advocate Dorothy Buckland-Fuller – finally broke through at Parramatta. You might recall her journey hit a snag recently, with a six-week delay caused by concerns over the depth of foundations at a nearby Telstra building. Meanwhile, TBM Betty – named after Australia's Olympic sprinting legend Betty Cuthbert – has already started her final leg to Westmead, having left Parramatta in mid-July. Operating 24/7, both machines have excavated an incredible 1.25 million tonnes of sandstone over seven kilometres between Sydney Olympic Park and Parramatta. Parramatta's metro station site has been taking shape through a 'cut-and-cover' construction method – which involves digging a gigantic hole and building over the top of it later. This massive hole, measuring 196 metres long and 25 metres wide, has required extensive support beams due to the clay-rich soil near the Parramatta River. Yes, it's quite different to the underground cavern excavation under the city streets for stations like Pyrmont and the CBD. Located just north of the existing train station and within walking distance to the Light Rail, Eat Street, and the proposed Powerhouse Parramatta, the new metro station will reshape the heart of Parramatta. Beyond improved transport, the broader precinct will include new homes, offices, retail, dining, and entertainment offerings – something that this growing cultural and commercial hub needs. The Sydney Metro West line is expected to open to passengers in 2032.
