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Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Council removes bizarre roundabout after backlash from drivers in 'disgraceful saga'
An unconventional and much talked about road feature has disappeared overnight just days after it made headlines around the country for its very peculiar, and seemingly ineffective, design. A diamond-shaped roundabout was recently rolled out in Sydney's southwest – much to the total bemusement of drivers in the Liverpool Council area. Fifteenth Avenue, set to become a key arterial route to the new Western Sydney Airport, has recently seen a flurry of roadworks, with three new roundabouts installed in quick succession. Roundabouts have been added at 22nd Avenue, Craik Avenue, and the now-infamous – and short lived – diamond-shaped roundabout at 28th Avenue. Footage captured by Yahoo on Friday at the unusual roundabout showed a number of drivers ignoring the painted lines and driving straight through the road feature. However on Friday night, council workers quietly removed it all together. "There is no roundabout, it's gone," a council spokesperson told Yahoo News on Saturday. "We listened to our residents. It was a design that didn't work. "There were lots of complaints about it, so the simplest thing to do was to get rid of it." Photos from the scene on Saturday show black paint over the previous diamond shape and a previous sign has been removed, and replaced with a regular Giveway sign. "There was actually a mound in the middle of the intersection, so it was pulled up and the intersection has been repainted with slightly different line markings to the previous one. "It's going back to the intersection that it was, and we've also put some improved line markings to make it a bit simpler and easier," the spokesperson said. Local MP Nathan Hagarty was also on the scene on Saturday to mark the occasion. "Cars are still stopping, they're not sure what to do," he said in a video posted to constituents on social media. "But as far as I'm concerned, this is not the end of this disgraceful saga. I have had a look at the original designs and what I can say is that the design that I saw do not match what was delivered, so I think some serious questions need to be asked to Liverpool Council and the contractors... how much money has been wasted?" he said. Related: Major road rule changes coming into effect on July 1 across Australia For it's part, the Liverpool Council says the state government needs to upgrade the road to make it fit for purpose to handle the amount of traffic it receives. "It's always been an awkward intersection … we've been waiting years for that road to be upgraded – it's a major thoroughfare. It's going to be the major link into the Western Sydney International Airport and it's not going to be ready in time," the council spokesperson told Yahoo. "It hasn't been done properly and there's more pain to come unfortunately until that road is upgraded." Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
News.com.au
a day ago
- Business
- News.com.au
‘Embarrassing' Sydney roundabout leaves drivers in a mess
Residents in Sydney's southwest are fuming over a strange new diamond-shaped roundabout that has left drivers in a mess. The oddly-shaped intersection at Austral's 28th Avenue has been branded 'embarrassing' by Liverpool City Councillor Peter Ristevski, who admitted he's just as baffled as the public. 'My inbox last night was bombarded with over 300 responses asking, 'what is going on? You guys can't even build a roundabout',' he told Channel Nine's Today. 'They've pretty much lost confidence in the council, which is very concerning at the moment.' Footage captured by Yahoo News Australia on Friday shows a steady stream of motorists ignoring the layout altogether and simply driving straight through the roundabout — including a large truck and several SUVs. There are no visible signs explaining how to navigate it, and residents say it's dangerous. 'It's f**king sh*t,' a local man told Yahoo. 'I can't even turn onto my street because of the shape of the roundabout.' He added that turning through the intersection without hitting a waiting car or nearby pole is nearly impossible. 'Because it's shaped like that, by the time I do swing it back around, I would hit those cars waiting there or the pole, so it makes it dangerous.' Despite what appears to be ample space for a standard circular roundabout, the diamond design was reportedly chosen due to the angled layout of the intersecting street. The controversial roundabout is part of a series of upgrades on Fifteenth Avenue, which will eventually connect to the new Western Sydney Airport. Councillor Ristevski blamed external contractors and said he didn't know the cost of the diamond-shaped layout. 'It's quite embarrassing,' he admitted. 'I'm in Canberra for the Australian Local Government Conference, where I've had every single councillor here in Australia rip into me about this roundabout.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Drivers erupt at council's 'dangerous' new roundabout in busy suburb
Questions are mounting about how a bizarre diamond-shaped roundabout got approved in a dense suburban area, with one local councillor admitting he's as confused as residents, branding the strange new addition to the road "embarrassing". Utterly baffled motorists are mystified over how to use it, with many opting to ignore it and drive straight over. Footage captured by Yahoo News Australia on Friday at the new Austral "intersection", in Sydney's southwest, shows several motorists driving right through the diamond-shaped roundabout, including a large truck and several SUVs. "It's f**king sh*t," a local told Yahoo News. "I can't even turn onto my street because of the shape of the roundabout." The man said that if he followed the road, he wouldn't be able to make it all the way around without either hitting another car or the pole on the side of the road. "Because it's shaped like that, by the time I do swing it back around, I would hit those cars waiting there or the pole, so it makes it dangerous," he said. "Getting around Sydney itself is already sh*t and then they add that little puzzle to the mix." Vision appears to suggest there was ample space for a standard circular roundabout, with the diamond design seemingly chosen due to the angled layout of Twenty Eighth Avenue. Yahoo News has sought an explanation from Liverpool City Council on the new roundabout. There are no visible signs directing road users how to properly use the diamond. Councillor Peter Ristevski has now called for an urgent investigation into why the diamond shape got approved in the first place. "My inbox last night was bombarded with over 300 responses asking, 'what is going on? You guys can't even build a roundabout'," Ristevski told Today. "They've pretty much lost confidence in the council, which is very concerning at the moment." Drivers reminded of road rule being ignored on roundabouts Controversial road rule change set to impact over a million Aussies from July Millions of Aussie drivers warned of road rule change with $961 fines Ristevski pointed to external contractors, and said he wasn't aware of the price tag of the roundabout. "It's quite embarrassing," he said. "I'm in Canberra for the Australian Local Government Conference, where I've had every single councillor here in Australia rip into me about this roundabout." Seven News reports Liverpool Council has acknowledged the confusing layout and is attempting to redesign it circularly. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Where happy hour is a crime: A state-by-state map of drinking deal bans
For many nine-to-five workers, happy hours are a treasured tradition to unwind after work. But in six states, evening drink discounts are illegal. Massachusetts was the first to ban happy hour specials in 1984, after a fatal drunk driving accident that was tied to a drink promotion. As an anti-drunk-driving movement took hold, other states followed Massachusetts's lead. The 1980s saw widespread changes to alcohol laws, including bans on unlimited drink deals, two-for-one specials, and multiple drinks served at once. During that decade, the national drinking age was also raised from 18 to 21. Since that initial wave of drinking restrictions 40 years ago, though, some states have started to rethink their laws. Kansas was the first state to repeal its total ban on happy hour specials in 2012, with Illinois and Oklahoma following suit in 2015 and 2018, respectively. Yahoo News used data from the Alcohol Policy Information System to map where bans on happy hour and unlimited drink specials remain.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
What is the 'bank spoofing' scam and why is it on the rise?
One in seven people in the UK have lost money to fraud in the last 12 months, a new survey has revealed. The survey from TransUnion's 2024 Consumer Report found that 43% of UK adults claim they have been targeted by online, email, phone call or text messaging fraud attempts in the last three months. On average, consumers lose £1,400 per scam, with only 18% of these victims recovering all of their money. In November 2024, fraud prevention service Cifas outlined that in the UK, people lost a total of £11.4 billion to scams in the previous 12 months, up £4bn from the year before. Simon Miller, director of policy strategy and communications at Cifas described the rise as "worrying", telling Yahoo News it's "absolutely critical that industry acts quickly and decisively to protect the public." The most common types of fraud in the UK include online shopping, impersonation fraud and data fraud. But recently, a new form of fraud known as spoofing has been deceiving Brits, and it's on the rise as more and more people rely entirely on online banking to handle their finances. 'Spoofing', also known as remote bank fraud or vishing, is a way for scammers to take your money or bank details - usually through posing as your bank. A common method used is Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud. APP happens when an individual authorises a payment to a scammer, who they were made to believe is a legitimate person, such as a bank representative or the police. These scammers may have previously obtained their targets' details through data breaches, phishing attacks or even by intercepting people's data when they are using public wifi, then using it to convince victims they are a legitimate business. In 2022, a common way this type of fraud occurred was through iSpoof, a fraud website that allowed scammers to make calls using the caller IDs of banks - ultimately tricking the victims into trusting them. Anti-fraud website Action Fraud said that during the height of iSpoof's activity, almost 20 people per minute were being contacted by scammers who were using the site while hiding behind false identities. In total, almost 200,000 potential victims were directly targeted through iSpoof. APP fraud has increased significantly over the past few years, reaching an accumulated loss of almost £460 million in 2023. Last year, however, the number of reported APP cases reduced by 24% and the total losses reduced by 2% to £450 million. Experts suggest these figures show that although there are fewer victims, those who are targeted have more money stolen from them. According to Cifas, the progression of AI technology has contributed to the increasing threat of fraud, as it allows victims to be targeted on a larger scale and at a faster pace. Miller said, "everyone has a role to play in the fight against fraud", cautioning people to "stay alert" and "report anything suspicious". "Businesses, too, must step up. By sharing data and intelligence, investing in fraud prevention solutions, and educating customers, we can stay one step ahead of criminals and safeguard both people and organisations." A sense of urgency Usually, these scammers may have a sense of urgency in their voice, pressuring you to 'act quickly'. In this case, they may do it to make you panic or rush into following their instructions without taking time to question them or process the information enough to raise suspicion. They are asking you for your financial or personal information UK Finance says that a genuine bank will never call you out of the blue to ask for your PIN, password or to move any money. In most cases, if there is suspicion of a compromised bank account, your bank may just freeze your account until they can speak to you. The caller asks you to give them remote access to your computer In this situation, hang up immediately. It could be helpful to call the number on the back of your physical bank card, or go to your local bank branch if it is accessible at the time. You can also call 159 to get through to your bank, or 101 for the police. If you have been a victim of spoofing, you should report it immediately to Action Fraud or your actual bank, using the number they provide on their official website or on the back of your physical card. There are also a few other steps you can take, including: Try to take steps to avoid the risk of further fraudulent activity by changing your passwords and freezing your card. Look into your bank's reimbursement policy. For APP fraud, the new reimbursement rules came into effect on 7 October 2024. Make sure you keep all records of the communication you had with the scammer. Monitor your credit report and check your credit rating to see if any other suspicious purchases are made in your name. You could also place a Fraud Alert on your credit file to flag to lenders that extra precaution is needed due to a risk of identity theft. The government's website also provides information about what to do if you have been a victim of fraud.
