Bridge lights
A year or two back, someone in council decided to waste ratepayers' money by replacing the reliable sodium lights on the Dublin St Bridge with LED lighting.
Maybe the council's electrical contractor advised them that the new LED lights would last 10 times longer — and so they should, as they probably cost 10 times as much to purchase and install. I do hope they have a good warranty time-frame.
Well, what a disaster they have turned out to be.
There are nine spans on the bridge with a light on each. At least six months ago, two of these lights died, were removed and have not been replaced.
Now a third light has given up the ghost.
I wonder how long it will be before the bridge is in total darkness?
Is this part of the deferred maintenance programme council implemented when they patted themselves on the back for keeping the current rates at a 2.9 per cent increase?
And while I am on the subject of the bridge, there is serious rust corrosion on the overhead structures that should have been addressed long before now.
As we all know prevention is better than cure and cheaper too.
MIKE O'DONNELL
Eastside
My choice
It seems, lately, that it is not our right any more to make a choice on matters that affect or relate to us as individuals.
Firstly, we have the end of life/assisted dying debate. This decision is probably going to be made for all of us by the collective vote of 100 or so politicians. That will be wrong. My life, my choice.
Next there is the fluoride debate. There is supposedly evidence that supports putting it in the water and evidence to the contrary. This decision will be left up to our Ministry of Health and implemented through local councils in consultation with DHBs.
This is the same organisation that put graphic warnings on tobacco products, classified as a class 1 carcinogen by the World Health Organisation, the same category as plutonium. Also in that class now is processed meat. When can we expect our pre-eminent health authority to get up with the play on this?
But back to the fluoride issue. A basic human right is clean, fresh water. If you want fluoride, get a tablet. My body, my choice.
Then there are the restricted trading hours. Driving around on various days over Easter, it was hard not to notice all the closed shops when others were allowed to open, due to some arbitrary rationale decided by others.
This is a stupid law, and should again be left to the businesses concerned to make up their own minds about opening or not. People who have time off work may want to shop or garden or have a coffee out in the sunshine. Their choice. They may want to uphold the Sabbath and go to church. Again, their choice. It costs the business owner every day of the year with rent, rates etc, and being forced to close is an unnecessary burden on small businesses who may want to open. Their business, their choice.
As a citizen in a supposedly free country, we can't let these decisions continue to be made for us by others when we are capable of making them for ourselves.
RUSSELL EADES
Wanganui
Epic effort
I watched the Commonwealth Games marathon race and was totally inspired by Callum Hawkins, the young Scottish athlete who fell short at the 40km mark in his effort to win a gold medal for Scotland.
He gave 100 per cent of himself to his sport, his team and his country and is a role model for all aspiring athletes. He is a credit to himself and his family for his gallant effort and I hope on his return to Scotland his effort does not go unnoticed.
In no way do I want to diminish the achievements of those athletes who did finish the marathon — especially the gold medal winner Australian Michael Shelley and Callum's Scottish team-mate Robbie Simpson, who came third — but in my opinion this young athlete, Callum Hawkins, epitomises the spirit of sport in the Commonwealth Games.
Growing up, I can always remember my own coach saying: It does not matter if you win or lose; it is how you play the game. Yes, Callum Hawkins did not win the race, but he showed everyone his commitment and dedication to be the first Scot to stand on the top of the podium in the gold medal position for over 50 years.
The Scottish people should be extremely proud of this young man, and no doubt we will hear more of him in the future — perhaps in the marathon at the Olympics in Tokyo.
PAUL REA
Hawera
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