Whanganui letters: Roundabout cause of Dublin St Bridge traffic woes

Stephen Palmer writes that traffic problems at the Dublin St Bridge don't justify spending millions. Photo / Bevan Conley

Jim Ennis proposes a typical engineer's complex and expensive solution to the Dublin St Bridge "traffic jams" (Letters, May 15). Relocating a span from one side of the river to the other and lowering Somme Parade in a location that is prone to erosion just doesn't make any sense.

Yesterday I drove home across the bridge at rush hour and it took less than five minutes to negotiate the queue. Hardly a justification for spending millions?

I have written before that the problem is the unconventional roundabout at the Dublin St end of the bridge. If that roundabout were to be removed and the section of Somme Pde from Dublin to Pitt streets closed then bridge traffic would have a clear run off the bridge into Dublin St and we would all save 10 minutes a day.

The clash between Aramoho and Whanganui East traffic would move somewhere else, probably to the Dublin/Pitt intersection, where it could be managed more effectively.

This problem could be fixed in a week at chicken feed cost if only we could send our engineers off for a week's holiday.

When I asked about likely life span of the bridge I was told that it is indefinite if the bridge is maintained. It is an iconic engineering marvel that ought to be treasured rather than replaced.

STEPHEN PALMER
Whanganui

Māori ward facts

If ever there was a classic example of media bias it has to be the headlines of today's Chronicle "Support for Māori wards 'overwhelming'" (May 18). This headline rates alongside Trump's best efforts before, during and after the US presidential election in terms of fake news!

A fine act exists these days whereby throwing figures and percentages seem to bear factual proof to support the headlines ...

Let's look at the stated real facts: 18,500 persons on the Māori roll were mailed to vote on the issue of Māori wards. Of those mailed only 1649 responded ... Far short of "overwhelming" in my mind.

We then get another "wow factor" report that 95.5 per cent of the responses from Māori on either the Māori or general roll want Māori wards. Bear in mind that the question was only posted to those on the Māori roll. However, it was shown on the regional council website and 170 non-Māori responded with over half not wanting Māori wards.

I am sorry, but one does not need to be a brain surgeon to see that this survey has been reported in a totally nonsensical manner designed to mislead the public.

We live in a democratic society and if Māori want representation on our council let them earn it through the due process. Who cares what Hamish McDouall wants, let the Whanganui population decide. To do otherwise is racist.

D PARTNER
Eastown

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