Well, Mr State Growth spokesperson, I have tried your suggestion. Guess what? The old route used to take me on average 10 minutes to get from West Launceston to the LGH. Your way took me 40 minutes, so if as you say your changes have been made to create more consistency it's more like constipation than consistency.

Trying your way in reverse just didn't work. The old way - even going to the casino and back - took 25 minutes.

Taking your advice and changing in the city took me 90 minutes to get near home.

You even acknowledge that the West Summerhill area is now disadvantaged, but to do as your department suggests and transfer - it's not on, Mr Spokesperson.

Drivers I have spoken to all all think the new routes are nowhere as good as the old and there is next to no new efficiency the only thing gained is a whole lot of disgruntled users.

The Letter the Editor by L Scales (The Examiner, February 14) is just the last straw for some users when asking Metro.

They have next to no idea of where the caller is asking directions for and has to use Google Earth and then gets it wrong.

I feel for that elderly lady.

Metro and the Department of State Growth: get your act together and listen to people - and from the drivers too - who are having unnecessary grief over these stupid, unnecessary changes to a system that was working well.

One driver said the only part that needs changing on the 165 route is to go straight up Howick Street and along Charles Street to the city, and the same on the outward trip to cut the Wellington Street and Bathurst Street section out.

This is for two reasons: get access to LGH back and get the buses out of the heavy traffic that use those streets.

Just one small change, Minister for State Growth Michael Ferguson, and we will be next to happy again.

David Parker, West Launceston.

YOU may remember back in October last year a coalition of leading media organisations and industry groups publicly campaigned for changes to make sure Australia's laws protect our right to know.

I was in touch with our Tasmanian Ombudsman's office again this week to find out what is going on with two Right to Information external reviews.

It appears not much.

In relation to one review a draft decision was sent for approval in August 2019.

Despite this case being open for 217 days nothing has been forthcoming.

And the other, it is still with one of the ombudsman's delegates pending a decision to be drafted.

It has been open for 1090 days.

Guess this is not too bad.

That is only 2.986301369863 years to sit on it.

Despite the public being promised that this would improve, the current average time to complete a request for an external Freedom of Information review is currently 1031 days.

That is a lot of information being denied by this government to the public.

Clive Stott, Grindelwald.

AFTER calling the mental health helpline at 6 am, I was told a message would be sent to the critical assessment team at the LGH.

After 10 hours I called them back and was given the number of the CAT team and rang them but was told that they were in a handover meeting.

I called back in an hour and was told that I would be contacted after staff got off the phone to another family.

After months of looking for support for a family member and one fruitless eleven hour visit to the LGH, ED I was told on the second voluntary admission on Monday that Northside was full until Wednesday and that their ability to keep the family in an emergency room bed was stretched.

If the Chinese can build a hospital in 10 days, we should get the army in.

David Brimble, Scottsdale.

WHILE I would like to see a side in Tassie, you have got to be realistic.

The government could not afford to fund it and it would be a loss-making exercise for at least 20 years.

It would cause an uneven competition of 19 sides which is not good.

My solution is to relocate St Kilda to Hobart and have North Melbourne play their games in Launceston.

Sorry Hawks, there are too many sides in Victoria anyway and this makes more sense although it will require a lot of money, but at least the state would have a good start with a good supporter base already.

Hope it works.

Geoff Hampton, Deloraine.

HEALTH minister Sarah Courtney said the health system was well prepared and resourced to deal with any coronavirus cases (The Examiner, February 3).

What a joke. The health system here in Tasmania is so poorly prepared and under-resourced it can't even deal with its own sick and dying.

A R Trounson, Needles.