Letters
Support for rail line Q Despite reams of infor-
mation and evidence to the contrary, some correspondents are still peddling misinformation about the costs and benefits of a commuter rail service on the Casino to Murwillumbah (C–M) rail line. The C–M line can, and will, provide badly needed transport for locals and two million tourists. The government has tried on two occasions to have legislation passed to remove the protection from the line and it’s been defeated twice owing to strong opposition from the community. If that protection is removed to allow the lines to be destroyed for a cycleway, the valuable land along the corridor could be sold off to developers who have been trying to get their hands on it for years. Recent research by a Fairfax journalist uncovered documents which show beyond doubt that the state government is wasting billions in taxpayer money on road projects when rail would have provided better, faster, safer, and also cheaper transport for commuters. People should be outraged
A mall too far
Having just read about the new mall that we are eventually going to have whether we want it or not, I see that completion is expected in 18 months. The closure of our beloved picture theatre was premature. It has depleted our
at this massive waste of our money, not calling for more millions to be wasted to replace the C–M line with a cycleway and tourist gimmick that will not provide transport for anyone. Thanks to the vigilance and hard work of locals who have saved the line, trains will be running on the Byron section of the line soon. This 3km section of line was repaired for about $1m, which means the whole C–M could be repaired for around ten per cent of what the state government has claimed. People who think ripping up the C–M line is a good idea need to tell us what their plan is to deal with traffic congestion, which is projected to double in the next decade. People will not allow the train line to be destroyed as the only option would be to spend many billions building more roads for more cars to clog up beautiful local towns. And more road deaths and injuries. Brilliant! The corporate$ would be the only ones to benefit; they would love it. Louise Doran Ocean Shores
Q John Scrivener’s anti-rail
visitors’ enjoyment when it’s too wet for anything else and we locals all miss it terribly. The old cinema could have been demolished in a timely fashion just before the huge multiscreen theatre was built. While the debate continues about a bypass and nothing
happens I also wonder how on Earth the region will cope when the construction vehicles roll into town and out again and in again. If we think that Ewingsdale Road is a carpark now with the hopeless hospital roundabout adding to the difficulties, wait till the
rant (Letters, May 24) is wrong on nearly every point raised: 1. Improvements in technology and efficiency apply to rail as well as road transport – enabling trains to continue to operate successfully in many parts of the world today. 2. The rust on local tracks is superficial, clearing vegetation is relatively easy and many of the existing sleepers are steel and in good condition. 3. It is proven that trains are more efficient than trucks for moving heavy loads. This is why Adani wants to build a railway, not a road, to get its coal to port. 4. The trucking industry gets a colossal subsidy from other road users. If it costs about $200 to register a car, it should cost about $5 million to register a big truck because the truck is 50 times heavier, travels 50 times as far and takes up ten times more space on the road. To omit this wholesale rorting from a discussion on viability is either deceptive or ignorant or both. Alistair Bell Byron Bay
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.
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Available to continue the care of patients who have recently lost their wonderful doctor, Dr Inga Schader.
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building eventually begins. What a nightmare. What a planning disaster. What an unwanted, unnecessary development in our town. I think that Americanstyle malls are old-fashioned retail white elephants, out of character for our town and I regard the developers’ ‘green’ inclusions as just paying lip service to our green council. These concessions will not make up for the loss of amenity and disruption and the impact on small businesses in Byron that benefitted from the cinema’s patronage. Carole Gamble Mullumbimby Creek
Bed tax action
Since May 9 my wife and I have been travelling in Europe, currently in Paris, after spending over a week travelling in Portugal. In Europe we have stayed in hostels, hotels, Airbnb and private apartments. Everywhere we have stayed we have paid a bed tax. It is regarded as normal and acceptable here. Why is Byron Council not
THE
putting pressure on the NSW government to do the same? How about the mayor and BSC general manager making a presentation in person to our premier? Instead we are left with Council dumping a rate rise on residents. Byron Shire tourism brings in hundreds of millions of dollars to NSW and almost nothing directly to our Shire. Action, please. Jim Beatson Byron Bay
E zone issues
While I do not necessarily and wholeheartedly support the West Byron development it is with a sense of irony that I read of some people’s concern, eg Cr Cate Coorey, regarding NSW planning department’s attitude towards environmental zoning in Byron’s LEP. It was Council’s original proposal for E2 and E3 zones on farms that led to the planning department’s present attitude towards the zones, originally a part of Byron’s
LEP. The original unprofessional and cavalier determination of E zones on farms by Council did not foster confidence in the validity of the E zones in the LEP. The creation of E zones on farms in this instance also amounted to a Byron Council land grab of farming land without consultation with, or compensation to, the landholder. All for spurious reasons. If there is no confidence in the validity of Byron Council’s E zones, it is of their own making. It is a bit rich when a councillor can claim ‘no confidence’ in a planning department decision that was made without community consultation, when the original E zones in the LEP were created by Council without consulting the communities most affected. In addition, it is not correct to claim that the present planning department decision will set a precedent. Future E zone determinations will be made under a more continued on next page
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PETER C & DR BAZ The Byron Shire Echo May 31, 2017 11