Rear seat belts often not ‘simple’

The statement, “It takes two seconds, it’s so simple” with respect to wearing seatbelts certainly does not apply to backseat passengers in many makes of cars. Given the difficulty in fitting and clippingin the rear seatbelts, 20 to 30 seconds or more is most likely.

Instead of being easy to fit, the buckles are often hard to find, fitted very close to the seat and/or close under the backside of the passenger, difficult to manipulate and altogether poorly designed for ease of use. Rear-seat passengers get frustrated at not being able to easily find or clip the buckle in and so give up, leaving them vulnerable to the dangers of a crash.

The NZ Transport Agency regulators should examine this shortcoming and specify suitable design to ensure back-seat passengers can easily clip in seatbelts.

Robin McGrath, Forrest Hill.

Excessive checks

I was appalled to read that the Waterview Tunnel would be closed at night for three nights and this would occur every quarter. I suspect this is another scare inspection resulting from health and safety requirements?

I thought the tunnel opening was delayed to allow for all the systems to be checked and tested, so why another check so soon after opening and ongoing inspections at such frequent intervals? I hate to think at what cost this will be done and whether those in charge have challenged the requirement for such a frequent inspection.

I believe frequent inspections based on health and safety are a rip-off and contribute to a growing industry by socalled experts who stipulate this as a requirement. It is the taxpayer and ratepayers who have to pay for this ridiculous scare industry. What is wrong with an annual inspection?

Clive Sinclair, Devonport.

Hate speech

Why is this despicable, bewildered creature still free to be among us, preaching unbelievable hate to our children and their parents? Would he shoot his own child if found to be homosexual because of a passage in the Bible that was written by people who thought the world was flat?

Robert Coldham, Devonport.

Live-in offices

I recently stayed overnight at Auckland’s Starship Hospital after a scare with our newborn (all fine now). Our room had a hidden bed for caregivers, a space-saving option to open from the wall when needed. As I observed commuters pouring into the city from 5am, it struck me again that so many office buildings in the city are vacant at night.

Why rush to build a raft of low-cost housing miles away, and often on precious food-growing land, when office space is empty? A simple conversion of low-risk office space could make for prime overnight accommodation. “Hidden desks” for office workers can be closed and locked against a wall without having to shift a thing. A cafeteria, creche and shared day-use room would cover the times residents needed access during the day and this resident population would revitalise the city streets at night.

A thought for savvy highrise landlords and city planners, and a design challenge for architectural students maybe. Meg Liptrot, Grey Lynn.

Driving lessons

When I opened my cellphone this morning I was surprised to read an unsolicited message from the Labour Party telling me they would introduce free driving lessons for learners. Whilst I am supportive of young people learning to drive under supervision, I do not see why the taxpayer should fund the learning. Could somebody please tell Jacinda Ardern and her party that nothing in this life is free. Somebody, somewhere has to pick up the cost — the taxpayer.

Peter Cropper, Remuera.

Night shelter needed

It was good to see the front page devoted to the social housing crisis. The Salvation Army report “Taking Stock” outlines the need for such housing and the probable permanent demand for it. It is to be hoped this will be a priority for politicians of all political parties.

What is not mentioned is the urgent necessity for a night shelter in Auckland. I’m aware large numbers of people are sleeping on the streets now in this cold, often wet, weather. I can’t imagine how excruciatingly awful that must be. There are empty buildings around the city. It just needs someone with the requisite authority to step up and decide that to have fellow Aucklanders reduced to such misery should not be happening in our biggest city. Can we have immediate action on this urgent humanitarian need?

Lucy Lamb, Epsom.

Small is better

Bryan Leyland is right, shuttle vans are already among the most efficient “public transport” options. It is only because “whole systems” are complex and difficult to understand, that most of the world persists with a tradition of large vehicles, fixed routes, public monopolies and massive subsidies. The policy mistake is based on the fact that the larger vehicle, especially on rails, uses the least energy per person when moving “the number of people it has the capacity to carry”, at its cruising speed. But this ignores the stopping and starting, the large proportion of the time the vehicle is more empty than full, and the vehicle’s own mass. Then there is the limited origins and destinations, and service frequency; and how travellers are to get to and from stops at both ends of their trip.

Phil Hayward, Naenae.

Water claims

Treaty Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson is right to point out Labour’s proposed water taxes could well trigger another round of Treaty settlements, which would go against the fundamental principle that the settlements are full and final. However, the National party has already unleashed a Pandora’s box of its own with the introduction of the Marine and Coastal Area Act. This legislation has now resulted in over 570 claims for customary rights and title to the foreshore and seabed. Together they cover the entire coastline of New Zealand, many out to the 12 nautical mile territorial limit. Wading through these claims will be a hugely expensive and time consuming task, likely to take a number of years. Susan Short, Meadowbank.

Woman in pain

A modest bouquet for your follow-up article on the unfortunate Linda Fenn in Westport, but a distinct brickbat for your original article on Monday. Nephrocalcinosis is a condition where there is increased formation of kidney stones, which cause no symptoms until they are dislodged into the tubes to the bladder, whereupon they are certainly responsible for severe pain, often for several hours until they pass.

This typically can occur every few weeks or months, and in the meantime is entirely pain free. There is no way this would cause a patient to be “bed-ridden” all the time and drop weight to 33kg.

Your reporter refers to “life-threatening kidney disease” and continual “chronic pain”. Even basic research should have alerted her that there may be something else going on here. Fenn is obviously an unwell woman, but perhaps for different reasons than your article claimed.

Barry Claridge, Whitford.

Flawed system

As another South Auckland school is placed under statutory management we are reminded again that NCEA is a “crock” of an assessment system. Remember the Cambridge High School debacle back in 2004 where it emerged manipulated data and results were used to achieve the school’s so-called 100 per cent pass rate.

There is a long tradition of Ministry of Education intervention in South Auckland Schools. James Cook High School is probably just one of many schools “massaging” the data to up the pass rate level in NCEA. Instead of blaming “white flight”, demographics and zoning concerns why not address the real issues of what should count as quality teaching and learning.

When are the so-called education experts and ministry advisers going to wake up and see NCEA and its associated curriculum for what it really is? Shane Kennedy, Principal, Manukau Christian School.

National on liquor

Your correspondent Dr G Woodfield rightly drew attention to the National government’s failure to implement some of the recommendations of the 2010 Alcohol Law Reform report. More recently the Government has completely ignored the recommendation from a committee it set up at huge expense to look at alcohol sponsorship. The committee was chaired by [rugby league luminary] Graham Lowe. It recommended alcohol sponsorship be phased out. The recommendation has sunk without trace. Cliff Turner, Hamilton.