ATTITUDES NEED TO CHANGE
Last week I found out that Wollongong City Council is proposing to install a painted central median on Farmborough Road between Kotara Crescent and Bristol Parade in Farmborough Heights. The illogical reasoning is that it will prevent further crashes due to the road being too narrow for cars to park on.
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Having witnessed several crashes, near-misses and many other bad driving events in the area, I can tell you why this is happening. It is not due to cars being parked on the street. It is due to drivers and riders choosing not to follow the road rules, or no longer able to drive safely due to age.
Cars, trucks and bikes regularly speed and swerve dangerously up and down Farmborough Road like it is some kind of racing track. For many people on Farmborough Road, they have no other parking option for second vehicle or guests than to park on the street.
This would not be a problem if passing motorists followed the road rules and slowed down where there are potential hazards ahead, instead of swerving to cross the centre line into oncoming traffic.
I have driven many times in Inner City Sydney and people manage perfectly fine to park on both sides of narrow streets and never crash, because they drive with caution rather than like lunatics as they do locally.
It is the wrong approach from Wollongong City Council to force people from parking on the street due to bad driving.
Council instead should be enforcing the road rules, with regular assistance from police and community members, to make sure that people drive with caution, under the speed limit, wait for hazards ahead to clear before swerving into oncoming traffic, and force road users who choose to repeatedly flaunt the road rules or make mistakes daily due to impairment or age, give up their licences as to prevent further accidents, and not impinge on people who have a right to park their vehicles outside their homes.
Attitudes in the area need to change from self-centred and impatient, to community-minded and patient, otherwise more issues will follow where bad behaviour (not just bad driving) will be encouraged, and those who are doing the right thing will end up penalised instead.
Andrew Jones, Farmborough Heights
RECYCLING THE PROBLEM
The big news that China will no longer accept the plastic waste that Australia churns out in seemingly endless amounts is frightening. But when I take a closer look at how this problem arose in the first place, I don't blame China with taking its stance on our problem.
Back in the late 60's early 70's, almost everything now found in plastic containers came in glass or steel or cardboard.
We were told that all our fruit drinks, milk, and perishable products, would still taste exactly the same, and being a lot lighter to transport would actually get cheaper to buy.
It never happened, and the forecast made by the manufacturers and retailers were outright lies. All drink containers just went up by 15 cents, of which our scheming government gives us back a generous 10 cents refund.
Without any plastic recycle facilities available to us, the only thing we can recycle in Australia is bullcrap.
Dave Cox, Corrimal
WHO HAS THE POWER?
Well I see the power companies are making huge inroads into profit making, AGL made a cool billion dollars. Makes one feel a bit sick really.
The pensioners are too scared to put the fan's on in fear of a high cost in there electric bills.
But never fear, good old Malcolm Turnbull is gonna give us a two dollar refund a month in three years time.
Well what a relief that will be , but says nothing about their huge profits. .
Lawrence Wren, Fairy Meadow