RT21
Recently I was walking with my wife on a section of the eastern shore of Hobart and had ‘a beautiful moment’ where I conceived a fast transit route running from Clarendon Vale area (I think of as Clarence Plains) through to Glenorchy (not via Hobart CBD) and using existing corridor to Austins Ferry then to Old Beach and, most importantly, through Gagebrook toward Bridgewater and Brighton.
Why Gagebrook particularly? Have a look at the stats for this suburb if you think we’re in a bad way due to corona virus; this suburb was already in a bad way to start with! After thinking up that idea I went searching for some sort of confirmation that I was, metaphorically speaking, coming from the right direction on planning for Hobart’s transport needs. I found an organisation in the
USA called Feonix Mobility Arising. Their website provided me with a hope that, somehow, Hobart could choose a new way.
I am not just talking about building better transport infrastructure. I am talking about using planned targeted 21st Century transport technology to completely restructure a large section of Greater Hobart’s modus operandi. I drew a single line that connects the bulk of commercial and industrial zones and many of the denser, poorer residential areas. Perhaps we, as a community, ought to ‘Hold 5’ before we gorge ourselves on 20th century infrastructure?,
By the way, I refer to my concept as RT21. The HobartRT21 concept does not provide anything for fossil fuelled private transport platforms (vehicles) or for residents of Sandy Bay Taroona or Kingston!
– Robin Harwood, Claremont
Magic Puddings and Reverse Tenders
Clarence Council has frozen rates and increased capital spending without going into debt. Every government and business in the world would like to know income can fall, spending rise and yet the budget is balanced! But Clarence does not have a magic pudding. Acknowledgement must be given to the state government for providing 3 year interest free loans to fund the increased capital expenditure. In 2023 Clarence ratepayers will have to repay the loans with interest. Clarence has the cash reserves to repay the loans but these reserves were created by excessive rates in previous years. Up until last year, Clarence rates were 15% greater than the comparable cities of Glenorchy and Kingston.
However many of the projects will not be relivered as demand for projects exceeds the supply of capacity to build them. Even before COVID, Tasmania had trouble finding sufficient construction capacity with many projects like the RHH requiring external construction companies and FIFO workers. The COVID recovery will see all levels of government across the nation start project but with a surplus of projects, construction companies will have the luxury of choosing which projects to bid for and how much to charge. In effect governments will be in a reverse tendering process. Will we have the fortitude to say no to overpriced bids and push projects out to years when there is a shortage of projects and prices are more realistic?
– Tony Mulder, Clarence
Intentional Damage to Bicheno Foreshore
Bicheno penguins are unhappy about foreshore disturbance.
A Parks & Wildlife Service ranger came up to Bicheno recently to question a homeowner who had been removing vegetation. It appears that he made a pathway from a house, through the foreshore reserve and penguin habitat, to allow private and easy access to the beach.
The homeowner has effectively extended his yard onto the reserve. Even after discussions with various community members who warned that he was damaging habitat, and the ranger visit, the homeowner had a bonfire and gathering on the area he had cleared.
Hopefully, PWS will prosecute this blatant destruction of public open space and wildlife habitat. as several witnesses are willing to give statements and assist with any legal actions. Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, a Bicheno resident, went down to the foreshore to view the destruction of the vegetation. Rebecca White came here and met with us and has forwarded information to relevant government ministers.
The Bicheno community’s response is incredibly positive with people praising Parks and Wildlife Service for the quick response to the call, and people offering to help in regeneration and weed removal work. We also wrote to the Acting General Manager at GSBC to inform her of what had happened and requesting action.
Friends of Bicheno Penguins alongside Council, NRM, EON and other community groups are keen to assist with the rehabilitation of various coastal areas, weed control, propagating suitable plants and protecting penguin habitat. This may be an area to undertake some community planting activities. The homeowner who has destroyed areas of foreshore should be required to contribute to the cost of rehabilitation works.
If anyone wants to help with care for the coastal areas, and to help ensure new plants survive, please let us know.
– Lyn Hatton, Friends of Bicheno Penguins
Tourism sector needs character
If we have any hope of resurrecting our tourist sector we will need to protect and cherish every skerrick of our precious heritage and allowing a century old mansion in Fitzroy Place to be bulldozed and replaced by a non-descript ‘contemporary’ structure is counter intuitive. Tourists come here because its different and they love the old houses and uniqueness of our towns and cities.
The really puzzling thing is why the Tourist Council and those who make a living and profit from our natural and urban environments are conspicuous by their silence in these matters. Why do we not see Luke Martin or indeed a gaggle of Airbnb standing in front of threatened heritage with blazing lights and cameras demanding their protection? Why aren’t they putting in objections and yelling to the seagulls that these buildings are important? It is after all their livelihood at stake.
Tourists will stop coming unless we can go on offering them something other than what they can see at home and clearly the universal blandness of modern architecture has little appeal for our visitors. Sadly, though I feel my voice and a snippet of my heart will likely crumble into the rubble and dust of the wrecker’s ball as this beautiful home is destroyed forever. Perhaps it might help if I were to make an obscenely large denotation to the Liberal Party or at least have mates who have.
– Ian Broinowski, Battery Point
Logging endangered species habitat
To the Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein and other members of parliament who pretend to care about endangered species,
In case you hadn’t noticed, swift parrots (Lathamus discolor) are going extinct. Swift parrots only breed in Tasmania. It is imperative that all swift parrot habitat is protected to prevent these parrots from disappearing completely. Just in case you have not studied zoology or ecology, or any kind of science, maybe you would like to consider paying attention to the experts in these fields. I can guarantee they know what they are talking about.
Logging of swift parrot breeding, nesting and foraging habitat must end immediately. It is a disgrace that this logging continues despite swift parrots being listed as critically endangered in 2015. The latest 3 year logging plan made available online by Sus Timber Tasmania includes soon to be logged areas of swift parrot habitat. This is outrageous.
Please pay attention to the experts in these fields. Please make informed decisions based on what the scientists say. Your opinion means nothing if you do not look at scientific evidence available to you.
– Felicity Holmes, Blackmans Bay
Advertising the Gambling State / Cowboy State
Whats in the message in Saturday’s Examiner The West Coast ‘Not for the faint hearted’ , ‘Conquer the silky-smooth tarmac curves through an iconic landscape’: A list of attraction of games to get you dead? In this full page advertisement two articulated trucks coming around the sharp corners of the highway through the denuded landscape, are straddling the central white line!!!!
– Helen Tait, West Launceston
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