NZ driving penalties far too soft
Anthony Williams from NSW is right when he says drivers here are among the worst in the world (Weekend Herald, June 11).
The primary issue is one of inadequate education and we could do a lot worse than adopting the Driver Education programme run in
a number of US states. A student driver is professionally taught and, after passing, they can receive their provisional licence a full 12 months earlier.
However, this is too late to address the issue with New Zealand drivers. No matter how many programmes we try, and we've tried them all, our drivers continue with their atrocious habits. Tail-gating, cutting in, running red lights and stop signs and of course, speeding is endemic along with a general lack of courtesy.
Our penalties are ludicrous and we need to be more in line with most other countries. In Western Australia the penalty for using a mobile phone is a tad over $1100 and four demerit points. Here it is only $150 and no points.
The NZ Government's approach is simply to reduce the speed limits causing more frustration while not addressing the real problem. I can only conclude they and the relevant departments have put this in the too-hard basket. We deserve better.
Rod Lyons, Kumeū.
Roads the problem
In response to Anthony Williams' (Weekend Herald, June 11) reference to New Zealanders as bad drivers: Roads are more the problem than drivers. The majority of roads in New Zealand are single lanes with virtually no verges, and passing lanes are poorly spaced, particularly in windy parts with multiple blind corners allowing no escape from slower drivers.
City streets are mainly narrow with three lanes converging into two and two lanes converging into one more common than not. And very few barriers on long stretches of highway allow tired drivers to cross over.
With our cheap and often smooth asphalt road surfaces, apart from being susceptible to breaking up and causing potholes, the smooth surface in frosty or heavy rain has cars slipping and sliding for the unwary driver.
It is too easy for drinkers to get behind the wheel — I remember the case of one driver being fined 50 times for drink-driving. I mean the justice system has to get real wouldn't you think?
Gary Hollis, Mellons Bay.
Volunteer week
National Volunteer Week is from June 19-25, with this year's theme "Time to Shine". What must be remembered is how important volunteers are in our society. They deserve to be treated with kindness and respect. They are not slaves and don't ever take them for granted, otherwise you will lose them.
All volunteers shine with their generous hearts and individual talents. They get no money, yet are very valuable because of their good souls. Volunteers care but they also need compassion at times too. They definitely deserve a certificate of appreciation, on an annual basis.
Wendy Joy Baker, Nightcaps.
Downtown police
Auckland's high-density city centre needs its own police station more than ever. With some 40,000 residents the continued reluctance to reopen the closed downtown station puzzles me.
As a city-centre resident, I know how valuable returning to police on the beat would be. The Covid pandemic has hit downtown Auckland hard. Businesses have closed and major construction projects have further disrupted life.
But many people like to live in vibrant city centres rather than quiet leafy suburbs. Auckland's city centre is returning to life and has many new well-designed areas opening up. It is also becoming much more people-oriented.
What's needed is community policing to match. A return to police walking the beat, who get to know the area and the people. That needs a permanently manned police station downtown — something strongly supported by the City Centre Residents Group and local MPs Helen White and Chlöe Swarbrick.
Unfortunately, the police leadership seems reluctant. Area commander Grae Anderson says it's not a good use of resources. On the contrary police on the ground can nip anti-social behaviour in the bud before it escalates. Just enforcing existing public space alcohol bans would do wonders for reducing alcohol-fuelled crime.
It is not as if the police don't have the resources. The Government has invested a lot of extra funding in the police in the past five years. Auckland alone has over 300 new officers. The old Fort St police station was closed in 2013 due to cutbacks under the previous government. Now is the time, with so much rebuilding going on, to rethink that decision.
Jeff Hayward, Auckland.
