Letters: New Zealand can't afford cycleways

Cycleways squander money, says a reader. Photo / File

Recently it was reported that Auckland over-estimated their need for cycleways.

Why does it matter? It matters because New Zealand is not a wealthy country and when money is sidelined into projects that are not needed, it means other parts of New Zealand go without.

Why does that matter? Why does it matter that the new Government has decided to play with taxpayers' money by dreaming up a tram ride to the airport?

Funnily enough, whether New Zealanders can afford such a congested system has never been assessed financially.

Nor is credit given to the excellent bus service METRO which gives easy, prompt, good service, without the excessive cost or years of disruption, not to mention blown out budgets and congested roads, what on earth is Auckland city and the new Government thinking?

Auckland and the new Government are taking the money that should be completing at least six major projects in Auckland and the rest of NZ including Whangārei and Western Bay of Plenty.

Why doesn't someone hold the Government and Auckland City to account? Just because it is big, there is no need to see money squandered again.

Margaret Murray-Benge
Bethlehem

Artificial Intelligence

Computer buffs love Alan Turing, whose 1938 thesis provided the basis for all subsequent computers.

What the IT buffs don't grasp, however, is that Turing foresaw the need for a God-like human person (the 'Oracle') to command the machines.

Turing's peer, Kurt Godel, stated the same thing in maths: that without a God-like being outside of maths, mathematics made no sense.

Therefore our hopes of Artificial Intelligence are destined to wither on the vine: Turing asserted that machines don't actually think, instead they make calculations with numbers.

This explains why all the AI bots made so far have crashed and burned.

GJ Philip
Taupo

Pike River mine

Bravo Pike River. The eight-year battle is almost over.

There are similarities in the Pike mine disaster to the Ralph's mine disaster in Huntly that happened on September 12, 1914.

Forty-three miners lost their lives in that disaster and facing similar problems of toxic fumes and fires it was not until 10 hours after the explosion that the rescuers were able to enter that mine.

Yet it was September 27, just two weeks after the explosion, that the last body was recovered from Ralph's mine.

Another similarity with the Huntly disaster is that mine officials of both mines had previously been warned of unsafe conditions that could possibly cause an explosion. (Abridged)

Gwyneth Jones
Greerton

Leave mine alone

I believe Pike River mine should be left alone and made into a memorial and save the money and spend it on the needy. It is just a waste of money.

This, in my view, is about political grandstanding by this Government.

What about the hundreds of people killed on NZ roads since the tragedy?

Use common sense. Not if, when, someone else gets killed trying to get these men out what is the Government going to say then? (Abridged)

Ken Whittle
Papamoa