No ban on bullbars, Carr assures bush

Sydney Morning Herald

Thursday 4 January 2001
By Geesche Jacobsen


The Premier has reassured rural communities that bullbars will not be banned or severely regulated, saying he doesn't think the risks to urban pedestrians warrant blanket bans.

Mr Carr has told a country newspaper that risks to country motorists outweighed the possible improvements to pedestrian safety. “Country Labor say bullbars are not fashion accessories, they are lifesavers for rural families,” he wrote. The convener of Country Labor, Upper House MP Mr Tony Kelly, said the Government would not be approving standards which made most bullbars illegal. Most commercially made steel or aluminium bullbars were acceptable and would stay, he said.

But a spokesman for Mr Carr said the Government would consider restricting attachments, such as bicycles or fishing rods, which protruded from the car. Cars with bullbars driving in the city were mainly country families visiting the city for business or pleasure, or people with country properties, he said.