Letters: Tauranga transport ... motorway madness or a rail choice?

Rail could provide the answer to Tauranga's traffic woes, a reader says. Photo/File

Congestion and traffic delays will increase with dependence on roads. The bleating to fix the roads permeates in more asphalt undesirably covering our planet. Considering topography, roads are good. The worst problem is repeating Auckland's woes. An outside visitor noticing the railway remarked: "Why don't people take a train?" The answer, Not possible, there is no passenger train.

All the hype about future Tauranga transport only considers roads. The powerful and influential roading lobby, construction, oil corporations, have no interest in passenger rail.

For governments, the huge tax from fuel, motor and roading rates above continual pollution and environmental degradation. Similarly, politicians quietly remain in a comfort zone. "Consultants, advisories" espouse only grandiose roading.

At the SmartGrowth Leaders' TCC meeting of November 21 the key presentation was transport. The "Western BOP Transport Centre (of Excellence)" became "Urban Form & Transport Initiative" (UFTI). The outcome was roading and huge funding requests by consultants to the Government.

Conspicuous was a deadly silence on any future sustainable rail commuter passenger service.

Fixation is on multi-lane motorways and flyovers. A common sense direction of passenger rail will benefit the public and planet Earth.

Jos Nagels
Tauranga

The less able have a right to a good life too

I read with interest Professor Bryan Gould's article on donations (Opinion. December 10). I totally agree with his article and the need for people to think about donations outside the Christmas period and also longer term for government to meet the needs of providing funds to charitable organisations to meet the needs of the disabled and disadvantaged communities charities assist.

I'd also recommend that there needs to be some sort of consolidation amongst charitable organisations as there is a huge overlap in this sector. There is also a power struggle between some charities for the disabled to gain necessary funding at the expense of other less recognised charitable groups. There also needs to be a ministry set up for the disabled and disadvantaged to gain a voice that represents them in government. There is 24 per cent of NZ's population that suffers some form of disability or disadvantage and yet the funding is split between ACC and Ministry of Health.

It should be the responsibility of government/society to meet the needs of the disabled and disadvantaged members of our society through appropriate taxation. Now, I hear the voice of the right-wing political support cringing at such a suggestion. The disabled and disadvantage are just as entitled to a good life as the able bodied – a more mature and fairer society recognises this dilemma and does something about it.

Lyndon Hawk
Pyes Pa