Letters to the editor: One-way proposal defies belief

Downtown Mount Maunganui. Photo / File

The one-way proposal along the Mall and Marine Parade simply defies belief that it even got to the discussion table and without public consultation.

I have lived at the Mount for 50 years and seen many summers go by with our holiday-makers and locals having to be very patient during heavy traffic volumes trying to get either along the Mall or Marine Parade.

Now, Tauranga City Council wants to make it worse.

There has been a 30km/h speed limit along the Mall for some years now and most cyclists are doing a speed near or close to 25km/h as it is and we all just need to be patient and let everything flow as best it can.

As to the potential loss of 125 car parks on parts of Marine Parade, this again defies belief.

There are people who do not go into Tauranga CBD because it is a nightmare trying to find a car park with ensuing damage to local businesses. Surely the council would have learned something from that history alone.

I am willing to bet any money you like that the above gridlock will happen. This will impact emergency service vehicles trying to attend incidents too.

Can anyone tell me when there was last an injury to a cyclist caused by a vehicle in the proposed areas?

I hope there haven't been any and don't recall any.

(Abridged)

Russ Hawkins
Mount Maunganui

Time for Clark to fall on his sword

Health Minister David Clark was found to have breached the Covid-19 lockdown and yet he has the cheek to cast aspersions on Ashley Bloomfield (News, June 26).

Clark was accused of humiliating Bloomfield in a media stand-up after saying: "The director general has accepted protocol wasn't being followed; he has accepted responsibility for that and has set about putting it right."

He delivered this line while Bloomfield was standing behind him.

In my opinion, it is time for Clark to display some pride and dignity and fall on his sword.
If not, this will become an election issue.

Andrew Lattimore
Mount Maunganui

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