To anyone who has attempted to come back from Sydney at 2.23 or 3.23 in the afternoon, when regularly elderly people stand to Sutherland, sometimes to Helensburgh a reduction in seating must be nearly unthinkable.

Recently I tried to join a train at Central at 5.00 p.m. Having started to fill up at Bondi Junction the battle on that vehicle was simply to get aboard, such was the crowding; a seat was out of the question. I invite anyone who hasn't done so to go and have a look at the density of building at the bottom of Shell Cove, at the area west of Tulimbar, at West Dapto.

Even sleepy Kiama has some hundreds of dwellings close to release or in development stage. All the future residents of these dwellings are going to want to travel to Sydney by train at one time or another.

Without a massive increase in rail capacity it is predictable that some wanting to go, say, from Thirroul to Sutherland or Sydney for work often will find it simply impossible to get onto a train.

I believe that the Minister for Transport, Andrew Constance needs urgently to reveal the results of research into future travel needs of The Illawarra, and how his government intends to satisfy those needs.

Noel Beddoe, Kiama

A few statements issued by the Roads and Maritime Services web site:  “Unregistered vehicles using the road network represent an estimated loss of $15 million every year in registration fees and motor vehicle tax.

It’s a sad fact that personal injury claims caused by unregistered vehicles cost more than $19 million a year in NSW.”

Why is this so?

Motor vehicle registration number plates are the property of the NSW government.

Failing to renew within 14 days of the expiry date of registration— voids the registration.

Failure to renew your registration within three months of its expiry date, Roads and Maritime will cancel the registration—and that’s it.

There is no concerted effort by the RMS to collect their property— namely— illegal number plates.  

This inaction gives a green light to owners of unregistered vehicles to break the law and keep driving, or worse remove the plates for illegal use.

If the government was focussed, very few, if any, unregistered vehicles would be on the roads.

John Macleod, Berry

Response to the page 2 article "Sunday scorcher breaks records" Mercury, Monday March 19, 2018.

No doubt Sunday was a scorcher and not unusual.

However, those people who have been deceived and brainwashed on global warming will claim climate change is responsible - but is it?

As a child I recall summer-like conditions in the early part of Autumn and similarly Winter-like conditions in the early part of Spring.

I am not a qualified scientist, but commonsense tells me the previous season is still saying goodbye in early period of the current season.

This seems to be a natural cycle regarding our seasons and climate.

Adrian Devlin, Fairy Meadow