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Beach parking fines Yesterday I drove to Whites Beach with a friend. As we passed Brays Beach carpark I noticed the unexpected arrival of the dreaded yellow envelope. Literally the entire line of cars on the western side of the road at both Brays and Whites carparks all had $240 fines. There were many confused beach-goers milling around chatting over the very unexpected scenario. The western side of the road at both carparks has no signage for ‘No Parking’ or ‘No Stopping’. So these fines have all been issued illegally by the council and should not be paid. Also, many cars on the east side of the road had fines. At Whites, for example, only the six or so cars that fit into the ‘nose in’ parking did not have fines. All of the other cars around these on the eastern side of the road were also decorated with $240 fines. There are ‘No Stopping’ signs 100m or so back down the road on the eastern side of the road but these don’t seem to apply to the designated beach carparks. So imagine… yesterday… once there were six cars at Whites Beach – no matter where you parked at Whites Beach, your beach fee for the day would be $240. That must be some nice beach. People have been parking safely and happily around the Broken Head back beaches for decades. This is like an act of
war by the council against the local people. Illegally fining people… and $240?! Who can afford that? Something needs to be done. Tristan Bray Upper Wilsons Creek Q See Council’s response at
echo.net.au/vandals-blamedfor-missing-signs-that-led-tofines. – Ed
Pollside testing Perhaps the ‘roadside drug testing for cannabis’ police could be better utilised. Whilst Echonetdaily journalist Darren Coyne assures us the cannabis users have great driving records, their performance at the council elections are far from flash and the positioning of the drug testing units outside polling booths on council election days could well produce a much better council. Tim Harrington Lennox Head
Illegal camping An illegal campsite was set up in Billinudgel Nature Reserve over the New Years holiday, north of the Mia Court beach entrance. Tents, chairs, eskies, a power cable, containers of petrol, and other camping gear along with many empty bottles indicated the presence of a number of people. There was clear evidence of a fire that had been left to burn itself out on the sand dune, just out of the trees. There were strong winds at the time and there had been for the
past few days. In fact people were seen sitting by this same fire on the previous day. Around ten years ago the reserve burnt down, threatening houses in North Ocean Shores, destroying fauna and flora. I called the council, who referred me to the National Parks service, but being on a weekend there was no answer to the phone and no facility to leave a message. The camp was near shore birds who nest in the dunes. The nature reserve is home to an abundance of wildlife and is a valuable asset of our Shire. To treat this pristine environment as a party/campsite is outrageous. Neighbours have said that these people camp here regularly. This should be of concern to local residents and the managers of the Shire’s parks and reserves. If people cannot respect our environment and the regulations which are in place to protect it as well as our nearby homes, they should be fined. There are lots of legal places to camp where people can enjoy nature. Name & address withheld
Cycling overkill Fines will be increased for bicyclists not wearing a helmet from $71 to $319. This is really sad. Australia is so very boring. In the Netherlands, it is not mandatory to use a helmet and yet they have the highest concentration of cyclists in the world. If I had to guess, the fact that Dutch
Letters to the Editor Send to Letters Editor Michael McDonald, fax: 6684 1719 email: editor@echo.net.au Deadline: Noon, Friday. Letters longer than 200 words may be cut. Letters already published in other papers will not be considered. Please include your full name, address and phone number for verification purposes.
North Coast news daily: www.echonetdaily.net.au
Democracy substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few.
politicians ride bicycles daily to the shops and work means they actually understand the issue. Here in Australia, they think bicycles are toys. They expect cyclists to get out of the way of cars, councils often direct you on the footpath and even the riders themselves don’t seem to have any sense of road rules. Riding bikes you’ll hear people yelling at you from passing cars... unbelievable. The pure ignorance around bicycles in Australia is shocking. If you ride a bike, now you must carry photo ID or face another fine. So much for jumping on the bike and going to the beach with nothing but your swimmers. You’ll have to bring your valuables continued on next page
THE
– George Bernard Shaw
lightworksonline.com.au 80 Centennial Cct, Byron A+I Estate 6685 5744
RAILS
THE RAILWAY FRIENDLY BAR, BYRON BAY 6685 7662 • therailsbyronbay.com
AND THE FAMOUS
RAILS kitchen
Thursday 14 January
JASON DELPHIN Friday 15 January
THE RIFLEBIRDS Saturday 16 January
SOULA
Sunday 17 January
ANDY JANS BROWN Monday 18 January
JON J BRADLEY Tuesday 19 January
CHRIS ARONSTEN Wednesday 20 January
JOSH LEE HAMILTON The Byron Shire Echo January 13, 2016 9