Chch Airport’s environmental values questioned
I NEARLY threw up when I read Piers Locke’s assessment of Christchurch Airport’s environmental values (ODT, 9.5.22).
They may well be ‘‘green’’ hot shots in Christchurch, but let’s ask the moths, butterflies and birds of Central Otago.
Note that an international airport can kill any bird they want within a 13km radius of the airport.
There appear to be no laws about lepidoptera because they don’t actually count yet.
The Tarras airport promoters are already splashing the cash in the
Tarras area. Soon I predict they will give away lump sums to Luggate,
Queensberry and Bendigo organisations. Remember, if you take money off the fox you shouldn’t be looking after the chickens.
For all Piers’ fine words, Christchurch Airport is putting money into his bank account. B. D. Armstrong
Cromwell
House prices
THE house price article by Riley Kennedy (ODT, 10.5.22) came with a terrible headline ‘‘ . . . values drop, worse forecast”. I thought there was a consensus that prices should drop, must drop, and that this is good news when it happens.
A good target postcrash would be 1/3 of current prices.
Even if Mr Kennedy owns rental properties, that he’s bought recently at inflated prices, I would request that he try to nevertheless keep bias out of his journalism.
Let’s see ‘‘ . . . values drop, more eagerly awaited’’ in the next article. David Grace
Dunedin Mr Kennedy is desperately trying to get on the property ladder himself. — Ed.
WILL someone please explain to me why it is safe to drive along South Dunedin’s quite densely populated streets at 50kmh, but not safe to drive along extensive parts of Otago Peninsula?
We have just spent upwards of $80 million making Portobello Rd one of the safest roads in New Zealand.
It may be sensible to have 40kmh speed limit for 300m on either side of the Broad Bay boat shed and the Macandrew Bay and Portobello shops, but nowhere else.
This is clearly a case of ideology overcoming common sense.
Wiser heads need to look at the change urgently and scrap most of it. Bob Lawrence
Portobello DCC group manager transport Jeanine Benson replies:
The reduced speed limits now being rolled out on Otago Peninsula are part of an effort to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads. Between 2016 and 2020, 28 people were killed in crashes and 231 people were seriously injured on Dunedin’s roads.
While the Peninsula Connection project has helped improve safety, vehicle speeds remain a major factor in crashes and their consequences.
Ensuring speed limits are appropriate is a key measure in addressing this. Following public consultation, the council decided last year to reduce speed limits for highrisk parts of our transport network, including parts of Dunedin’s CBD, Green Island, Otago Peninsula and Port Chalmers.
We position signage in areas where there is an obvious change in the roading environment, such as the approach to a builtup area.
Unfortunately, we have discovered the signs at two locations (near Glenfalloch and Pineapple Rock) have been incorrectly placed. These will be relocated shortly.