AFL Silence is Deafening
FURTHER to Rob Shaw's article (The Examiner, February 11) Premier Peter Gutwein will have a stronger case because of the modelling of the submission by the taskforce. Premier Gutwein would well be aware that one of the AFL main objections is the state does not have an integrated transport system and he has five years in which to rectify it? The AFL derives millions of dollars from its catering arms at its grounds with the sale of beverages etc, because patrons can travel by public transport, that is buses, trams and most importantly a train network from suburban and country areas.
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Premier Gutwein has an ace up his sleeve being climate minister and can extract funds from the Commonwealth for an integrated transport submission, mainly for rail and the employment it creates in trades.
He can not be held accountable for destroying this vital industry, which created so many outstanding engineers and tradesmen.
Tasmania will be a totally renewable power economy before any other state in the Commonwealth. Well done Premier. Imagine University Stadium being the catalyst for blockbuster games with suburban trains from George Town, Deloraine, Perth, Longford, Evandale, Campbell Town and North-West coast being the main objective. Scottsdale will have to reconsider their attitude towards a rail upgrade as TasRail approaches its 150th anniversary, or wither on the vine.
Brian P Khan, Bridport.
Renewables
IT'S increasingly obvious that those calling for more renewables are oblivious that electricity is extremely perishable (use it or lose it) and wind and solar are intermittent energy sources. They fail every time to even mention that energy storage would be an absolute necessity, perhaps hoping it and its cost will slip under the radar.
Gordon Thurlow, Launceston.
World Cancer Day
CANCER Council Tasmania CEO Penny Egan said "World Cancer Day is about empowerment" (The Examiner, February 3).
Good, because us poorer patients reliant on the public benefit scheme (PBS) are feeling a little underpowered when it comes to having a say in their health outcomes.
Ms Egan adds "Receiving a diagnosis will change your life and the lives of those around you". Let's hope CCT and Health Minister Sarah Courtney acknowledge that having to wait seven years for diagnosis can also help change your life and the lives of those around you.
A R Trounson, Needles.
Prison at Westbury
SUPPORTERS of the proposed maximum security prison at Westbury are happy that a quarter of a billion dollars of taxpayers money will be spent in the region to build this prison.
But wait, they want more.
They have a wishlist - an indoor swimming pool, a new high school, a new police station, a new aged care facility, an ambulance station, a new rifle range, upgraded NBN connections with discounted rates for locals.
These are not sweeteners for the prison they want so much, heaven forbid.
And the long-suffering taxpayer will continue to pay the bills.
Chris Donaldson, Westbury.
ON JANUARY 30 I decided to get a bus into town to attend a meeting.
In possession of the new timetable for my bus route, namely City/High Street/Talbot Rd/ Punchbowl Rd, I worked out I could get a bus at 1.08pm on Talbot Road. To confirm that I would be on the correct side of Talbot Road, I phoned Metro, explained what bus I wanted to catch, and where in Talbot Road I should catch said bus, that is, near Watchorn Street.
The bus I was looking to catch would leave the city, travel along High Street,Talbot Road, Punchbowl Road and then into the city via Amy Road and Abbott Street.
So when asking the lady who took my phone call, mentioning where I would be catching the bus, she asked me what street junction was that section of Talbot Road near, explained it would be Watchorn Street, she replied, I have Effingham Street listed, which is the beginning of Talbot Road and quite a distance away from where I was.
She went into Google Earth and told me I would need to be on the right-hand side of Talbot Road, even though she explained the bus would come along High Street, into Talbot Road, and then Punchbowl Road, so I advised her that I would need to be on the left hand side of Talbot Road, not the right.
Fortunately I was on the left hand side of Talbot Road as that is where the bus stopped. However, when we got into Amy Road a very elderly lady, who I presume had been told to wait on the other side of the road, waved vigorously at the bus driver, caught his attention but he didn't stop.
The bus that would come through for that side of Amy Road was another hour away, the temperature was 30-plus degrees.
This could have easily been me should I have taken notice of the lady from Metro.
I tried to get the bus driver's attention but he was not interested, a five-minute stop at a regulated bus stop to allow this dear lady to catch the bus would not have, I am sure, cost him his job.
The bus was running ahead of time as well.
People will refuse to use public transport if the instructions from Metro staff aren't correct.
A lot of older and younger people rely on an efficient bus service and getting the correct information.
In addition, the information on the notice board at the bus stop was not very clear either compared to previous information provided and as there is no one to ask, no corner shop etc.
A lot of people are going to be left standing on the wrong side of the road.
L Scales, Punchbowl.
