I read with interest the police report concerning the speed at which New Zealanders drive; also the article (Chronicle, December 18) about the heroic placing of a speed bump in Seafront Rd.
Would that we could do the same in Wanganui Rd, the entry and exit to Marton leading to Turakina!
There is an 80km sign before Huntley School, then a 50km sign 200 metres further on.
Both signs are routinely ignored by commuters, leisure drivers, utility vehicles, truck drivers and anyone using Marton as a short-cut to SH1.
Every weekday we are subjected to the arrival (6-10am) and departure (4-6pm) of speeding traffic. The number of vehicles on this road has increased significantly since it was resurfaced and widened, and since many more people have moved here for a nice, quiet rural life.
We are frequently woken by speeding trucks in the dead of night and anxious when we are endeavouring to leave our properties safely. The speed of heavy traffic barrelling down towards Marton is terrifying and the noise of acceleration after the junction with Pukepapa and Skerman streets can be deafening.
Residents of Wanganui Rd have written to the council and the police; nothing happens.
The best time we've had this year was the weeks of level 4.
Please, everyone, extend your kindness and consideration to the way you drive.
ROBIN PEIRCE Marton
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Covid lessons
What caught my attention most in Richard Shaw's comment (Chronicle, December 24) was his reference to the role our institutions must play in 2021 if we are to learn any political lessons from the Covid crisis.
Will our "scientific, cultural, political and administrative institutions" work for us in the future – or will they "snap back into conventional shape?" Crises can unite us as well as foster new thinking about how we govern ourselves and our financial system. But the siren call of "normality" can be all too enticing.
After World War II economic development models abounded – all aimed at solving devastation and poverty in both Europe and what were called the LDCs (lesser developed countries).
The World Bank and NGOs invested heavily in Asia and Africa but it was the Marshall Plan adopted in Europe which met with rapid success. A major reason was that European key institutions were still intact, having matured over many centuries, while so many LDCs lacked this advantage.
The Marshall Plan had an institutional template underpinning recovery – proving advantageous to both capitalist and communist interests.
With banking and trade talks back on the political agenda, it is vital we keep track and expand on some of the self-sufficiency gains we have made. As Shaw asserts "we need the vision, political leadership and moral fortitude to ensure this country really is a team for five million".
