NSW: Roozendaal eats humble pie after 'tough' week

AAP General News (Australia)
04-09-2006
NSW: Roozendaal eats humble pie after 'tough' week

By David Crawshaw and Nick Ralston

SYDNEY, April 9 AAP - NSW Roads Minister Eric Roozendaal has taken the blame and will
cop any fine for his ministerial car illegally travelling in a Sydney bus lane.

Photographs of Mr Roozendaal published today show his vehicle, driven by a minder,
zipping down the bus lane past gridlocked peak-hour traffic on Old South Head Road last
week.

Travelling illegally in a bus lane carries a penalty of three demerit points and a $225 fine.

The incident was the latest in a series of slip-ups by the novice minister.

On Wednesday he had to apologise for raising his middle finger at Nationals MP Melinda
Pavey in the NSW upper house.

Mr Roozendaal, who only took over the roads portfolio two months ago, was criticised
last month for being flippant about pollution in Sydney's M5 East tunnel.

He advised motorists to wind up their windows to escape noxious fumes.

A contrite Mr Roozendaal today apologised for the bus-lane incident but said that at
the time he had been reading in the car and was unaware of what was going on.

"Unfortunately my vehicle was in a bus lane, I take full moral responsibility of that,
people should be aware to stay out of bus lanes," Mr Roozendaal said.

"I was unaware at the time it was happening, I was reading some documents at the time."

He pledged to pay the applicable fine and make an equivalent donation to Father Chris
Riley's Youth off the Streets charity, but said his driver would cop the loss of demerit
points.

Mr Roozendaal said he accepted that the community expected a high standard from publicly
elected representatives.

"There are no excuses for breaking the bus rules, but I guess we are only human," he said.

"It's been a tough week."

It is not the first time a NSW government minister has fallen foul of road rules.

Former planning minister Craig Knowles lost his licence last April after being caught
drink-driving in Sydney.

Five years ago, former premier Bob Carr was fined for not wearing a seatbelt.

Opposition leader Peter Debnam today branded Mr Roozendaal "arrogant" and said his
illegal use of a bus lane highlighted the frustrations of Sydney motorists.

"Everybody's angry every single day," he said.

"They're frustrated with the lack of traffic planning, they're frustrated that the
government hasn't been able to attract people back to public transport."

Mr Roozendaal was "accident prone" and "out of his depth" as roads minister, he said.

"He seems to be getting himself into trouble every single day," Mr Debnam said.

AAP dcr/it/de

KEYWORD: ROOZENDAAL NIGHTLEAD

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