Harold Scruby shows his true colours, abusing motorists via email

This newspaper article, taken from The Courier Mail, illustrates the true character of self proclaimed "road safety" activist, Harold Scruby. He is more of a road safety extremist, with his fanatical views that he wants to impose on the motoring public of Australia.

Safety campaigner traffics in insults
Amanda Watt
09oct04

THE acrimonious relationship between the Pedestrian Council of Australia and motoring enthusiasts has been exposed in an exchange of abusive e-mails involving the council's high-profile chairman Harold Scruby.

Mr Scruby, 57 ? who regularly comments on road safety issues and is behind the annual Walk to Work day ? called one writer a "little cretin" and told him to "go clean your grease nipples".

In another e-mail he referred to car enthusiasts as "petrol-head Neanderthals" and told another writer to "go away and play with your muffler and leave road safety to people who at least attended high school".

"Were you bullied at school?

"Did your parents hate you? Perhaps you missed the breast-feeding bit? Low IQ perhaps! Something must explain your behaviour," Mr Scruby wrote.

The exchanges were sparked by e-mail inquiries to Mr Scruby from motorists incensed by the pedestrian council's success in getting a Mitsubishi Magna television advertisement withdrawn. The advertisement depicted cars racing.

Other e-mails to Mr Scruby questioned the motivation behind the council's campaigns.

Mr Scruby, who has attracted support from all levels of government for his annual walking campaign, initially said he didn't recall writing the e-mails when contacted by The Courier-Mail this week.

He later said he had only resorted to childish taunts after being inundated with more than 100 abusive e-mails ? including some that made threats. One e-mail writer told Mr Scruby: "Stab yourself in the face with a pencil, we will all pay $20 to see that."

Mr Scruby said that he had simply "tried to humour" the e-mail writers.

"No expletives were used and I made no threats against them," he said. "If we got reasonable letters we responded reasonably, but when we got hillbilly stuff then I responded (in kind).

"It's not acceptable to be spammed like this by a group that is clearly well-organised, their attempt now is to undermine my position. My nature is if people write to me foul, disgusting e-mails they can expect something in return."

But one of the e-mailers, James Stevenson, said the head of the Pedestrian Council of Australia should not be ridiculing road users wishing to debate him on safety.

The e-mail exchanges, many of which have been reproduced on Internet forums, have prompted Mr Stevenson to form a lobby group on behalf of car enthusiasts.

Mr Stevenson said the Australian Drivers Group, was still in the initial stages of development, but had already attracted 150 pledges from those wishing to join. He has written to several politicians about Mr Scruby's e-mails asking if there was any way of disbanding the council on the basis of his comments.


"Please have a read of Mr Scruby's responses and confirm that this is the kind of representation you would find acceptable from a safety council," Mr Stevenson wrote. "In my opinion he is running dangerously close to being charged with slander or defamation."