Thursday October 11, 2018
LETTERS to the editor
Continued from page 8.
Thank you, bus driver Dear Editor, Yesterday when I went for a bike ride around the peninsula, a sharp piece of pauashell punctured my back tyre ate Karaka Bay. I walked my bike to Seatoun but the No 2 bus did not have a bike-rack. The driver allowed my bike on the bus and dropped me in Kilbirnie for repairs. Thank you, driver.
Also thank you for the No 12 drivers who stop for me at Leveson Street, even though the promised bus stop there was not put in. We may have our gripes for the bosses and planners, but the drivers are great! Thank you, faafetai lava. Paul Franken Strathmore Park
Vogeltown goat track made worse by new bus service Dear Editor, The GWRC got rid of our good ole electric trolley buses, replaced with Transit’s dirty diesels. Metlink designed the bad bus routes and system. While apologies are plentiful nothing will change - the hostage bus commuters are subject to a Stockholm syndrome, forced to get used to the new captive system. Last Saturday morning a car crashed into a No 23 bus on a sharp bend along the narrow McColl / Balfour goat track [in Vogeltown]. This stretch of road has deteriorated badly since the introduction of the No 23 service - the road is in disrepair and needs an urgent upgrade.
The bus scrapes on the road on several parts and some drivers go over the footpath. Also there is a danger of a large heavy pine tree overhanging the Balfour road with recent undermining slippage under its roots. It is just waiting for a gale and No 23 to fall on. Additionally, why do the few McColl/ Balfour bus commuters get priority street service when other street bus commuters to walk up and down WCC steps to get their stops? There are steps down to Liardet St where the No 23 route should be going. [abridged] Martin Beck, Mornington
More culture, less religion? Dear Editor A Richard Noble (CSN September 27) writes that Islam is not a culture but a religion but the two are inter-related. This confuses us and clarification is needed. Catholicism is an awful religion but clearly a culture in some parts of the world. Mr Noble is Anglican but look at the historical mess of the religions in Ireland. We taxpayers in the new world fork out $200 to help rebuild
the Christchurch Cathedral yet they were told not to build it in stone, with now only 250 churchgoers in their clan. All wars start with religion so maybe more culture and less religion? Matthew 18.15 springs to mind: “If your brother sins against you, go show him his fault.” Perhaps H. Westfold could have an opinion. Anita Vogt Newtown
Len Lye sculpture vandal a case study in idiocy It seems that Hunter Macdonald, rather than being an object of ridicule, or court procedures leading to sympathies and slapping with a bus ticket or cracked Snapper card could be an ideal case study. To make up for some of the damage he caused we should concentrate on the long-term harm if my grandchildren have to face precautions to access to joy and art for “security” reasons. How can any product of our education system, youth culture or “typical NZ
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culture” be so ignorant and stupid? By lending his body and mind to science, Hunter could contribute to society rather than a cost he is shaping up to be. If he was bored we should ask him how many bags of plastic he picked up from the beaches or pieces of litter he voluntary picked up in the past weeks. He is, or is he, part of us? [abridged] Paul Franken Strathmore Park
Prediction on 24-hour parking has been realised Dear Editor, Miriama Williams (CSN September 27) is correct in stating that the current 24-hour parking restriction in Miramar South has merely pushed the problem further down (east!). I wrote to the council when this ill-founded scheme was introduced pointing out that this would happen. Children from local primary schools could have come up with a better idea. I got no reply from the council. WCC are good at revenue collection and attending meetings, but when it comes to actually doing something they are not there, not in touch.
Chris Calvi-Freeman is delusional in thinking the scheme is a success. He and colleague Simon Marsh both advocate a review – what men of action! I have regular bludgers parking where I usually park in The Quadrant. We need Miriama’s idea, or resident-only parking. The current council seem quite oblivious to the day-to-day issues of the people. “The great illusion of leadership is to think that man can be lead out of the desert by someone who has never been there.” (Henry Nouwen) Dr Stuart Slater Miramar
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