LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

PARKING

I LIVE within a CBD parking area which is limited to two hours (Stirling St to be exact).

I want to bring an important matter to the attention of Toowoomba residents because I am sure they will not know that you can be issued with a parking infringement notice and fined $52 if you park across your own driveway.

I found out when I was issued with a parking fine while offloading some heavy items from my car. The street was full of illegally parked vehicles and the nearest place to park outside my house would have been at the top of the street, so while offloading, which took less than 10 minutes, I parked across the bottom of my own driveway.

The council has not been able to explain to me why these illegally parked cars (the same ones every day) which park all day and every day along our street do not get infringement notices.

I have security cameras on my house and after the council stated that they had sent parking officers to Stirling St on July 20/24/27, I checked the cameras…guess what, no sign of any officers except on July 27 in the afternoon, one infringement officer who took note of the numbers but did not issue any parking infringement notices.

These same vehicles have parked along Stirling St every day and all day and are here again today.

My question to the council was simply why could they not accept that it was necessary for me to park across my driveway temporarily and why have they still not done anything about these vehicles which are parking illegally and made it necessary for me to have to park across my driveway in the first place?

I’ll pay the fine, but just want to see fair play for all ratepayers and law abiding residents of this city. CAROL ROFF, Toowoomba

NEW HOSPITAL

MARANOA residents will be rejoicing to see their new $90.4 million hospital built (TC, 9/08).

This reader has memories of the current building looking as sad as he felt when admitted for observation, after being pelted from a runaway horse more than 40 years ago. Free parking for more than 220 vehicles will be a real bonus. Toowoomba new hospital planners, take note.

Here in Toowoomba our new hospital is long overdue and we are told it will be on vacant land adjacent to Bailey Henderson Hospital. Trouble is by the time the new hospital is up and running, more capacity will be needed as the population soars in our area.

By then, plans should be in place to totally demolish the old currently used Toowoomba Hospital and replace it with a second new facility.

But to make such a decision, one fears it will be like mating elephants. Everything happens at a high level, is accompanied by a lot of noise and snorting and it will take two years to see a result.

PETER KNOBEL, Toowoomba

YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT

BROOKFIELD-MULTIPLEX has tackled youth unemployment with the opening of the Westmead Connectivity Centre which was described as an initiative to match job seekers with local employment opportunities.

It is a whole-of-community response to the specific needs of western Sydney.

As unemployment is a major issue for local people, they have created a place where local employers, government agencies, training firms and community groups can come together.

Thus it will act as a hub for a number of specialist employment and training groups including Aboriginal Employment Strategy (AES), Australian Training Company (ATC), Fusion Training, Police Citizens Youth Club (PCYC), your town and Metro Assist.

The Connectivity Centre, formerly occupied by Ageing, Disability and Home Care, was renovated by a group of 10 indigenous people as part of a Prevocational Training Program coordinated by the mega construction company.

The group used the project as an opportunity to complete a number of their course components on site, and have since been offered formal traineeships with Multiplex.

IAN YEATES, Toowoomba