Where else could the shuttlebus driver park?

I HAVE great sympathy for the shuttle bus driver who lost his/her job because there were no available parking spaces, especially for a vehicle towing a trailer, in Cumberland St (ODT, 13.10.18).

This hungry driver probably saw a wide unused cycle lane near a fastfood outlet and decided to have a quick lunch. I agree that he/ she should not have parked in a cycle lane but where else could he/she have parked a long and relatively wide vehicle in that area? There are just no parks available.

When large vehicles can be parked in these cycle lanes, it shows that the lanes are much too wide while all other traffic lanes are much too narrow.

I drive along State Highway 1 two or three times daily and I have never seen ‘‘numerous cyclists’’ in these cycle lanes.

I trust this photographer might be available in the future to take a few shots when the DCC allows freedom campers to park in our streets, rather than using our local ratepaying holiday camp businesses?

All visitors, including freedom campers, should pay for their accommodation when visiting our city. Alex Armstrong

Opoho

[Abridged]

Sensible cycling

THE Critical Mass cyclists (ODT, 9.10.18) would probably face less of a ‘‘torrent of abuse’’ if they were not riding about a metre away from the centre line of the road.

And to lessen the ‘‘torrent’’ even more, she could try putting her helmet on her head. S. Robertson Andersons Bay

Local housing issues

A SUPPORT service says requests for accommodation assistance have reached a record high. How sad that it has come to this in New Zealand.

House ownership once was at 85%, one of the highest in the world. Now it’s 50% or less, and the other half of the population is forced to rent. Many down on their luck like Mr McEwan (ODT, 13.10.18) have to wait indefinitely for help.

This serious social problem is only being compounded by the Dunedin City Council and some organisations rolling out the red carpet, saying we will take more and more people from immigration.

This is indefensible in my view, when the city cannot cope with the increasing numbers of desperate New Zealanders who can’t get help from the system. Brent McLachlan

Company Bay

Cablecar benefits

YOUR editorial (3.10.18) points out the economic benefits to the city of the cruise ship season and you note, inter alia, ‘‘Perhaps Dunedin should make more of its topography. Steep hills can be put to multiple uses.’’

Elsewhere in this same issue you record the arrival of a further cable car at the Mornington display shed.

The link between these two items is obvious. As is the cable car in San Francisco the No 1 tourist attraction in that city, we anticipate the same may be the case when, in the fullness of time, the beautiful cars we have on display at Mornington will, once again, ride on tracks up and down High St.

We would, again, be the second city in the world to have such a cable car system (as we were in 1881), and now the only one outside of San Francisco.

The display shed will soon be officially opened.

Then, Dunedinites and visitors will have the opportunity to admire these historic old (100 or more years) cable cars, and to imagine how they might be trundling along, as of yore, the length of High St. Mac Gardner

Waverley