Noise, names and the mayor
HARRYWALKER, PAEKAKARIKI
Everything that is wrong in the Kapiti district is the fault of Mayor Gurunathan. Let us look at his record. The trimming of the iconic hedge in Waikanae obstructing views, a danger to ratepayers, both pedestrians and motorists because it obscures vision, is the fault of the mayor. Why is he like those unreasonable neighbours unreasonably worrying about safety? Macrocarpa hedge icons, and ancestors not having to turn in their graves, are more important. The inability of people on a course to read parking notices at the community centre is another example of the mayor’s incompetence. Why did he not refer these people to a literacy course to improve their reading skills, important when seeking a job, or recommend a local optometrist to check their peripheral vision important when driving? Given none of the four read the signs, they were focused on other things. He should also have recommended a chiropractor to check their necks/spine given the signs were eight or nine feet high and they had difficulty looking up. The Mayor should step in and assist these vision impaired, illiterate, stiff-necked law breakers who after all are just trying to upskill themselves so they can be gainfully employed. And while he is about it give notice that in the future he will intervene every time some bureaucrat enforces the law like a rigid oak and not a flexible willow. Let’s be alert to other issues we can blame this mayor for.
CHRISTINE OSBORN, WAIKANAE
I read your Conversations (June 22) which commenced with a letter by Pat Shannon: ‘Expressway Noise’, with interest. Pat mentioned that in spite of having been exposed to noise from the old SH1 and the railway that ‘‘after a short period we got used to it and I respectfully suggest that you do too’’. In my early morning thinking I felt that such an attitude - because I did it you can do likewise - is somewhat selfish and unhelpful. The reality is that many are wired differently. Just because I can tolerate noise does not necessarily mean that somebody else could do likewise.
MIKE JUDD, PARAPARAUMU
Since my last letter which you published in your May 4 edition, I was horrified to read on the front page of the June 30 Dominion Post that $100,000 has been allocated to the KCDC to waste on this inane idea to break up the main highway into seven sections. Why must the mayor and council keep on ignoring the opinion of the silent majority of tax and ratepayers in this community? Will it take a petition to make you see common sense? The money has been given to the council in such a way that when it goes pearshaped, no blame can be attributed for the waste. I take issue with Mayor Gurunathan’s comparison to actions which could occur in Zimbabwe. That is ridiculous as he, along with his council, were elected to make decisions on behalf of all local citizens, and not to be a bunch of politically-correct yes-men and women kow-towing to the everpresent outspoken minority. Jordan Williams of the Taxpayers’ Union summed it up. Make this a local name competition for one name only and stop this nonsense while there is some money to be returned to the taxpayers.
At the time of the Dominion Post article being printed, $35,000 had been spent. Will council please make public the recipients of this and any future handouts for this nonsense?
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