"... a city that will soon be bursting at the seams with the cars of our city's fast growing population." Never have Richard Burnett's words been so accurate (Letters, August 2).
But I wonder what Mr Burnett's solution to this might be? More of the same? More parked cars, more congested roads, more traffic?
Wollongong is clearly at a tipping point and it will only get worse. But does it need to? Other cities in the world have reached the same point and countered it by converting their cities into ones that favour active transport (cycling, pedestrians and public transport).
Again Mr Burnett is correct is saying that some cycle lanes are poorly utilised. However he overlooks that others (notably the Coastal Cycleway) are extremely congested and at capacity with cyclists and pedestrians.
A thoughtful analysis of why this is the case will inevitably conclude that most of the roads in Wollongong are simply too dangerous for cyclists to ride on: too many parked cars; too much traffic; too few separated cycle lanes. Little wonder the Coastal Cycleway is so congested: it is one of the few safe routes for cyclists to travel on.
Council is to be congratulated for taking tentative steps towards to improving infrastructure for active transport, but let's not kid ourselves: it is only a start.
But Mr Burnett, the alternative of not trying to improve cycling infrastructure will only result in more of what you lament: "a city bursting at the seams with cars."
David Curtis, Fairy Meadow
Plastic destroying the world
We have busy lives currently dealing with a number of issues that are impacting or will impact our lives.
There's the 'Voice' referendum, the progress of climate change, the carbon transition of the Australian economy, the pursuit of net zero emissions etc.
There is one that seems to be intractable, the use of plastic by everyone. This is part of the bigger problem, that society produces a lot of things but society is unable to deal with rubbish and waste.
The notion of sustainability is being lost in all the waste we are entertaining.
Plastic has come to the fore, it clogs our rivers, waterways, kills our wildlife and is ingested by humans. Science and Technology has been a colossal failure in dealing with plastics. A review of the news reveals promising ideas and developments in dealing with plastic.
The conclusion to be reached is that we are unable to currently rely on Science to deal with plastics. The population has to take on the 'heavy lifting' in making the use of plastics sustainable!
There are several organisations that can help on the plastic sustainability journey.
Peter Corkish, Wollongong
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