Letters: Shuttle bus service instead of underpass

Bay Hopper bus. Photo / File

No doubt there are other people in the community who have already thought of the idea of doing away with an overpass or an underpass and setting up a 15-minute or continuous shuttle bus (hop on–hop off) service between the Bayfair Shopping Entrance and Owens Place shops, a possibility I think has merit.

It would be far less expensive than the cheapest underpass or overpass proposal so far.

The vehicle could have easy access for mobile scooters, hand trolleys and bikes and could be funded by maybe an annual contribution by Bayfair Shopping Centre and Transit, some advertising on the bus might help in making this a free service.

The service could run between 8am and 6pm and anyone outside these hours could use a taxi nearby which would allay any of the fears of a mugging after dark.

We could put to good use one of our Bay Hopper buses that travel around Tauranga empty, belching fumes and are a waste of public money and 30 years before their time.

Doug Morris
Tauranga

Not enough traffic-patrolling police

I read your article on car accidents and plans by some councils to reduce the speed limits.

I regularly visit Melbourne to see family. My son was saying a couple of weeks ago that there have been 219 deaths in Victoria this year until a few days ago, with a population of 6.5 million. I cannot bring up online the number of deaths on New Zealand roads this year to date, our population is over 4 million.

We discussed why the difference in the large number of road deaths in NZ, state of roads was the first, fines nowhere near enough. There are not enough traffic-patrolling police.

On the motorways in Melbourne, there are speed cameras attached to bridges, people do not talk on cellphones, fines are large for these offences, and drug testing is carried out in Victoria.

Speed limits on main arterial routes through suburbs are 60 km/h, through suburban streets 50 km/h, around schools there are flashing signs at start and finish of school set at 40 km/h.

As my son said, New Zealand needs to get tougher and maintain roads to an acceptable level. The roads around the Bay of Plenty and Waikato are full of potholes, bad corners. The roads were not designed for the increase in population in the Bay of Plenty or the Waikato.

Wendy Galloway
Ōmokoroa

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