Hit again: Repeated damage to this Gonville fence by crashing cars raises serious questions about traffic management. Photo/file
Roundabouts
After reading Liz Wylie's piece on the front page of the Wanganui Chronicle of May 5, regarding the car smashing into the fence, I feel I need to comment.
Sandra Wilson is entirely correct -- it is a ridiculous situation -- and I feel sympathy for her and the situation she finds herself in.
To me, it is clear there needs to be a decent roundabout in that area where Fitzherbert Ave continues west at the "give way" and the left lane turns towards Tawhero. I must add here that I always tell family and friends to come to a complete stop at the give way as some cars speed round there from the Tawhero side heading into town.
It appears to me that there is enough room there to put a roundabout with the first exit left into Tawhero, the second exit left into the Kakaho Estate area and then continuing round to the right again, then back into the city.
The traffic from the subdivisions off Kelsi St is now coming through that area. If and when the road does go from Fitzherbert Ave Extension right through to Mosston Rd, to my mind the roundabout will be even more necessary.
It seems we have a lot of people moving here now, having realised what a "jewel" Wanganui is. We are all very lucky to live here.
Putting a barrier up, I assume on the berm in front of Sandra's place, would help solve the problem for a while, I suppose. But I hope the council can look a little further into the future and make the move to get a roundabout installed sooner rather than later.
With good signage, I am sure it would help. I would love to see a continuation of the green medium with native trees planted along that grassed area: pohutukawa, puriri, kowhai etc, all encouraging birdlife.
LESLEY LITTLE
Whanganui
Traffic problems
Might I suggest that while council roading engineer Rui Leitao is investigating the causes of the crashes and taking appropriate action at the Totara St/Fitzherbert Ave intersection (May 5, 2017, page 1), it would be timely to also undertake a wider investigation of traffic problems in the area and the reasons for them.
This intersection not only provides a major link from Castlecliff into town, it also serves an increasing number of residential properties who are all forced through this one very inadequate corner.
The original plan had been to provide a through-road all the way from Cobham Bridge to near the Rapanui Rd/State Highway 3 intersection (which is why Fitzherbert Ave extension is extra-wide despite leading to a dead-end).
Council's refusal over many years to construct the Fitzherbert Ave extension as originally promised has resulted in flow-on traffic issues at the Grey/London corner and for residents along Great North Rd and Montgomery Rd, among other places.
Residents of Castlecliff and those who visit the suburb or work there are very much under-served, with Mosston Rd and the Fox/Fitzherbert intersection particularly problematic.
Perhaps at last we can have a revisit of the Fitzherbert Ave extension and some leadership towards constructing this much-needed transport corridor.
KAREN WRIGGLESWORTH
Castlecliff
Contrived charge
Congratulations, Terena Currey, on your letter concerning the $50 charge the Whanganui District Council is proposing to charge all of us that are using septic tanks.
The council explanation for this charge is that we all benefit from having a cleaner river, but stop right there.
The river adjacent to our property has never been polluted with sewage; the pollution only starts after you get within the city boundaries, and now the council wants to charge us who have always looked after our river a fee to enjoy what we already have.
Maybe our solution to this proposed charge is to delete the fee from our rates before paying them.
RON RICHDALE
RD 14, Whanganui
Ferry caution
Carol Webb's concerns are the concerns of all district councillors.
We want the [ferry] concept to develop, but there are very serious issues to be addressed.
It will be absolutely great if we can help Neville Johnson to progress the numerous studies and resource consents required. But at the end of the day, it is a private commercial proposition, and basically it must be found to be commercially viable.
We all hope that it can, but in my view (and that of a number of other councillors), before the Whanganui District Council goes too far forward with support, we must have an unambiguous memorandum of understanding with the Tasman District Council.
DAVID BENNETT
Whanganui
Soul searching
"Those who tell Maori to stop living in the past rarely apply the same logic to World War I commemorations."
Those who frequently use these Chronicle Letters to the Editor columns to denigrate Maori, their culture and their history might do well to ask themselves whether that quote applies to them.
If the answer is yes, they probably need to do some serious soul searching.
The quote is the introduction to a new essay published on the Guardian website by Vincent O'Malley, a respected academic and author of New Zealand Book Awards long-listed history The Great War for New Zealand.
His brief, very readable, essay is titled "What a nation chooses to remember and forget: the war for New Zealand's history". It can be found at http://bit.ly/2qHyKf4.
CAROL WEBB
Whanganui
All we need
Yes, Mr John Robinson (letters, May 2), our Maori ancestors were certainly accused of rebellion.
But were they really guilty of such a charge? That's the real question.
The English language is a very powerful weapon in the hands of oppressors.
A clue to the colonial mindset is right there at the end of Mr Robinson's latest letter.
He reckons King Potatau should have bequeathed his people to the care of the governor.
But the Maori people have never needed or wanted any help or care from anyone.
All they really ever needed was, and still is, to be left to their own devices, with their own resources. And that's all they fought and died -- and were punished -- for.
So all I can say to Mr Robinson and others of his ilk is: Go forth and multiply!
POTONGA NEILSON
Castlecliff