GROWING PAINS

NEW data confirms what commuters have long known, that the city’s major arterial roads are accidents waiting to happen.

What might surprise many though is that those major arterials, when combined, record more crashes than on the M1. Our report today indicates that upgrading the M1, while necessary and hugely appreciated, is not going to cut it in fixing traffic headaches. As the Gold Coast’s population keeps soaring, increasing traffic is having an impact not only along the M1, which doubles as a feeder road for the city’s northern suburbs as well as the national highway and main link to Brisbane, but also on the major roads and suburban streets. One solution is improved public transport, but even that is causing growing pains. Residents are realising that having the trams nearby means many more apartment towers are able to be built in their suburbs.

A CITY is defined by its people, not its buildings.

Despite what the city’s Planning Committee chairman says, “the reality is we as a city are famous for highrises” (Bulletin 11 October).

This statement from the person responsible for approving or rejecting all developments in the city should send shivers down the spine of every Gold Coast resident.

News Limited’s excellent “Future SEQ” articles tell us that 800,000 new dwellings will need to be built in South East Queensland by 2041 and some of the pressure points are, Southport, Surfers Paradise and Coomera.

The Gold Coast population was 562,651 in 2016 and will grow to 990,254 by 2043.

Our city leaders need to be front and centre in the population debate rather than making glib statements knowing the Gold Coast City Plan will need to be drastically overhauled to accommodate “high rise” growth in areas where today this is unimaginable.

The Gold Coast Town Plan is not delivering the lifestyle and residential amenity that residents want, it is delivering urban growth at a rate that simply will lower the quality of life for many. RICHARD HOLLIDAY SURFERS PARADISE

RE Peter Campion’s letter stating “the IPCC want to send us to the poorhouse over the difference in air temperature between your head and your feet, …” Peter, if you wish to have a dabble in science at least try to get it right. Using your figure for the adiabatic lapse rate and assuming a person of 1.65m, the temperature difference between head and feet is 0.0107C.

This means that anthropogenically-driven temperature increase between the industrial revolution and present is 80 times this difference between head and feet, and to achieve the IPCC 2C target we would need to restrict temperature by about 105 times this difference.

However, comparisons using such physical processes in isolation are simply attempts to obfuscate the real science of climate change as expressed in the IPCC report (91 eminent scientists/reviewers from 40 countries and 6000 scientific publications referenced).

G R Ryan’s letter expresses another well-worn fallacy.

Yes, there have been climatic extremes in the geological past and survival of reefs, however, it has been well established that the present rate of rise is unprecedented and its correlation with post-industrial human activity is irrefutable.

While there may be some survival of reefs in obscure locations at 2C warming, it is estimated that there will be 99% extinction of current reefs worldwide. TREVOR GRAHAM (PHD, FORMER ADJUNCT PROFESSOR [CORAL REEF GEOMORPHOLOGY])

I’ve watched this debate about Bruce Bishop carpark for the last 12 months. I was present when Council voted to sell it.

I heard Councillors confirm that at least 740 public/community carparks will be retained at all times.

I drive past Bruce Bishop every day for work and always see the sign flashing. It often reads 1100 available bays.

Doesn’t that tell everyone that there is plentiful supply of parking bays in Surfers and that the new owner will retain at least 740 of them forever?

I pay to park daily at a commercial highrise in Orchid Avenue and I pay $4, providing I am there before 7.30am. That gives me all day, secure undercover parking.

With this in mind, why is Save Surfers Paradise making false comments week after week in your publication? Why aren’t they challenged on that? HANNAH LITHGOW SOUTHPORT

WHATEVER you believe the cause of climate change is, it doesn’t really matter

What does is the fact that Australia’s emissions are nothing compared with the rest of the world and for us to continue down the ridiculous ‘no fossil fuel’ path is only going to accomplish three things: a warm fuzzy feeling; very expensive power prices; and something the rest of the world can laugh at. ROD WATSON SURFERS PARADISE

THE Main Beach highrise decision made on Wednesday 10/10, by the Council Planning Committee, is a serious warning to all Gold Coast beach suburbs when the light rail goes through them.

The decision was regarding a development application for a 20floor high-rise at 3547 Main Beach Parade.

This is on the beachfront at Main Beach.

Even though the density was 350% greater than what is allowed on the Medium Density Residential Zoned site, the councillors focused on the fact that the site was “750 metres” from the light rail and ignored the density problem.

The councillors on the committee were not worried about the over 120 objections from concerned Main Beach residents nor the destructive shadows on the beach that would result.

If Main Beach is an example, then other beachside suburbs need to take notice. You will have highrises along your beachfront regardless of the zoning or the City Plan. DAVID HUTLEY MAIN BEACH