TO THE POINT

If the risk of head injury is so great in cycling, as Arthur Plowman writes (Letters, August 6), then we should also be mandated to wear helmets in cars, the shower and our kitchens, all of which have far greater rates of head injuries than cycling. Helmets themselves aren't a problem but, as Diane Cope says (August 4), mandatory compulsion arguably is. OLI BROOKE-WHITE, Berhampore Fonterra is a co-operative, right? Therefore, I imagine the megasalaries of the head honchos have been reduced by the same percentage as the drop in farm gate prices for milk solids? I wonder. KILIAN de LACY, Waitangirua In answer to Dave Armstrong’s Making Wellington bus friendly (August 10), might I suggest that more ‘‘younger Wellingtonians are far less dependent on cars than their parents’’ because of the access and exit problems of buses? For the elderly, getting on and off buses can be tricky and take time. Older people are dependent on the attention and goodwill of the bus driver. I dread the time when I will be dependent on bus travel. WENDY BENGE, Maupuia It should be possible and would be appropriate for home detention bracelets to be replaced with an under-skin chip similar to what is used for registered dogs. Human rights issues could be traded – either accept this or have a stint behind bars with no brownie points for good behaviour. BARRY ASHBY, Raglan Karl du Fresne’s excellent opinion piece on fetishising food (August 7) mirrors what happened to describing other consumption items. Look at the purple prose of wine and beer commentators. See the lengths coffee vendors go to create a range of titles for the stimulant keeping so many people alert. CHRIS HORNE, Northland