I was very happy to see the council reviewing and largely reducing speed limits around the district. World Health Organisation statistics show a speed increase of 1 per cent correlates to a 4 to 5 per cent increase in fatalities.
The New Zealand road toll is too high by any civilised standard. Getting people to drive slower and less is an obvious good start.
I have recently been startled by how unfriendly the city is to people who aren't in cars. I had to cross Fenton St between Government Gardens and town with an injury that meant I couldn't break into a sprint spontaneously.
It was quite hard and intimidating.
There are very few dedicated pedestrian crossings and I thought of all those that aren't so mobile and how they cope. I had a similar experience on Te Ngae Rd.
It would be great to see lower speed limits on small local streets and throughout the CBD such that people can start to interact sans automobile. That builds community.
Miriam Odlin
Mourea
Short-term accommodation
How disappointing that the Rotorua Lakes Council have yet again introduced weak regulations on the short-term visitor accommodation market.
This week's decision to allow short-term rental providers to sleep up to 12 people staying in a single house to not need resource consent is woefully inadequate, particularly as this comes hot on the heels of a council decision which allows a house to be rented on a short-term basis for up to 100 days per year without having to pay business rates.
This, in my opinion, gives a significant advantage over traditional visitor accommodation providers who pay more in rates and compliance costs.
Traditional accommodation providers also provide jobs for locals, and due to their larger rating base, more evenly contribute to roads and other infrastructure which has a benefit for the wider community.
There is also the fact that current weak regulations may encourage some property investors to boot out renters in favour or short-term visitors to boost private profits. The recent homelessness hikoi which arrived on the council's doorstep was a stark reminder of the need for more housing options.
Yes, short-term accommodation has its place, for example the Airbnb option to rent a private room with a host on site provides a greater visitor experience while reducing the chance for issues, or booking out a lake house - but the current system is coming at the expense of fulltime residents' neighbourhood experience while further restricting the already tight rental market for Rotorua residents. Change is needed.
Ryan Gray
Rotorua