FRUSTRATION caused by delays in traffic is certainly a contributing factor that causes panic while driving - a key ingredient for road accidents.
The roundabout at Speers Point that directs traffic to Warners Bay and Glendale is plagued by significant delays. The traffic, once the roundabout is navigated, moves more freely.
The costs of travel associated for employees and commuters in general would be significant when you count the time lost.
It seems the placement of traffic lights that could be turned on around peak times would allow a more peaceful passage to and from our destinations.
Grahame Danaher, Coal Point
Billionaires' cage fight
THE world's billionaires would be amusing if what they represented wasn't so serious and destructive.
The reported upcoming cage fight between Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg is an example of the world's wealthiest and most powerful men acting like a couple of testy, pubescent schoolboys vying for the position of who is the toughest and strongest in the neighbourhood ('Musk says X will live-stream cage fight with Zuckerberg', Newcastle Herald, 6/8).
One ploy of the billionaire is to cover greed by acting as the generous philanthropist for whom money means little.
Our own billionaire, Andrew (Twiggy) Forrest of Fortescue Metals, while appearing at times to be a "national treasure" has shown his true colours, in my opinion, by causing a wedge between Indigenous Australians and trying to diddle them out of land and compensation in the Pilbara.
For these individuals the more wealth one has, the more sway over governments and ruling bodies. It works for them so why would they want it any other way?
Julie Robinson, Cardiff
Local planning is key
I REFER to your editorial 'Social housing data a window to woes' (Opinion, 12/8).
There is a housing crisis of such magnitude that governments alone will not solve it. It will only be solved if all levels of government work together with private investment, both large and smaller.
It will require a range of solutions including social housing, affordable housing through head leases and build-to-rent, equity housing with land ownership retained by government or churches, homeshare schemes including granny flats, meanwhile use of vacant buildings such as aged care facilities, tiny homes and more.
We cannot sit back and wait for the NSW or Commonwealth government to solve this problem for us. It will only be solved by comprehensive planning at a local level.
What we need urgently is a Greater Newcastle housing planning body that brings together all the key stakeholders and identifies the size of the problem, the possible solutions, the finance required and goals and timelines.
John Ward, Georgetown
A bottle a week
I PROPSE that the politicians and company directors involved in fracking the Beetaloo Basin demonstrate their good faith to the people of Australia by publicly drinking one bottle of water from the affected sites per week. This is a small act and shows accountability. They are, after all, requesting the community to live with such water for life.
If the water becomes tainted, we need to know the cost of trucking in drinkable water, to weigh against the once-off royalties from the gas works. Being a small indigenous community should not cause them to be figured less, with or without the Voice. I would not like to be in their job. I have seen footage of bore-tap water in USA fracking fields - that was able to be ignited. Chug! Erp, oh, gas!
Andrew Spannenberg, Mayfield
Skate park blow-out
SADLY, it comes as no big surprise to read that the costs for the skatepark project have doubled and that the project is now two years behind schedule ('Newcastle beach skate park project hits $20 million mark', Herald, 16/8).
I am sure that a multitude of excuses will be found to explain the current situation but surely CoN must accept responsibility for this fiasco.
As a ratepayer, I expect that my contributions are spent wisely and that those in positions of responsibility are held to account for their decisions.
Put simply, heads should roll, but past experience suggests that this will not be the case and that the spin doctors will find a way to gloss over what is nothing more than a failure of process across so many levels.
Peter Gittins, Newcastle East
Keep calling out negative press, Eddie
WELL said, Eddie Jones. The reporting about the Wallabies, barring this paper which is awesome for their rugby coverage, is negative because unlike rugby league we have a competitive sport where more than one team can win. The other paper does nothing but bag the game, only reporting a club competition called rugby league. Good to see a coach not take the crap. Give it to them Eddie, I agree with what you are doing.
Bruce Cook, Adamstown
US 'proxy war' against Russia
WHEN PM Albanese flies to Biden's gala White House dinner, he'll come under sustained flattery marketing from the Pentagon hawks who will convince him it is in Australia's best interest to commit fully to America's proxy war against Russia in Ukraine. I am afraid Albo will roll over like a Labrador.
Alan Hamilton, Hamilton East
Road rage on the nose
AMERICA'S largest fake meat company is Beyond Meat. Recently in a road rage incident, Beyond Meat's chief operating officer allegedly bit another motorist. Was he so starved of real meat that he couldn't help himself?
Geoff Black, Caves Beach
Barbie 'madness'
I CONCUR with Peter Devey ('Is Barbie a harbinger of doom?', Letters, 12/8) on his assessment of Barbie the movie. Absolute madness. She would probably vote Labor as well. Truly disgusting, Peter.
Brian Rose, Adamstown
Better Oppenheimer movie
GREAT article by Gary Linnell ('How can you follow a film if you can't hear the actors?', Herald, 12/8) re the Oppenheimer movie! "It's just not me" either - or my mates who also endured this three-hour movie - thanks Gary. Apart from the obvious story, we also lost the real thread because of the "missed chunks of dialogue". The film on Foxtel To End All War - Oppenheimer is a far better movie.
