Letters: Traffic woes will affect business

Clogged up traffic at Tarawera Road roundabout. Photo/file

Te Ngae Rd is a driver's nightmare and yet there was a solution in the pipeline, instead we now have people trying to avoid Te Ngae Rd by ducking down Vaughan Rd or through Owhata and Lynmore.

Our mayor has been quoted as saying she would like to see Rotorua as a "place of interest for businesses and investors" and be "encouraging commercial land development".

Who, in their right mind, is going to want to invest in or establish business in a town with traffic woes such as ours. In business time is money.

I agree with the mayor when she states that "with growth and progress comes pressures on infrastructure like roading".

Like the rest of us she desires "an efficient, effective eastern corridor" (Rotorua Daily Post, January 14) so why on earth has the Eastern Arterial Link been canned under her tenure? Why has the Victoria St bypass also been canned?

All traffic must continue to use urban roads. These decisions were, in my view, extremely short-sighted and examples of "negative energy", decisions based on retaining the status quo, not on positive growth.

Urban bypasses, designed for heavy traffic, are now common. Those wanting to go to town still will.

Those wanting to get somewhere as quickly as possible, eg to the Port of Tauranga, need not.

I appreciate the likes of the Te Puke, Napier and Taupo bypasses and the Tauranga toll roads, and yes there have been times when we have detoured into these towns too.
PADDI HODGKISS
Rotorua

Freedom camping

I write in regards to the freedom camping article (Rotorua Daily Post, January 14) and like Blue Lake Top 10 Holiday Park we get our share (admittedly not many) of freedom campers who decide to park at the adjoining squash club carpark and use our facilities without paying despite signage that states no camping.

Like Mr Murray, we have confronted these people whose responses are varying from apologetic to abusive (and worth noting here that it is not only your stereotypical overseas travellers vans but also motorhomes displaying the NZMCA emblem).

This is not only taking the mickey out of campground owners and locals but also an affront to the majority of travellers who are more than willing to pay fees.

The only solution to this problem I can see is that if it can be proved that people have breached obvious "no overnight camping" bans then a photo sent with a time and date to some agency that then issues the owners of these vehicles a stiff fine (enough to cover costs and some) will soon make these people think twice on where they park.

MARK BOWIE
Waikite Valley Thermal Pools