Letters, October 14: Abortion licence

I totally agree with Robyn Jackson (Waikato Times, November 3) that Family Planning is an unsuitable organisation to hold an abortion licence. A group that pushes abortion as the only response to an unplanned pregnancy is dangerous.

To N Christian (November 3) I would like to say that Ken Orr does not waffle, he is right on the button every time. We need people like him to remind us how low we all can go if we just drift and do nothing.

It is no mere coincidence that the increase in violence in this country, particularly that towards women and children, has accompanied the rise in abortions.

You don't solve society's problems by killing its babies. And killing is killing, whether the person being deprived of life is recently conceived, very old, or anywhere in between.

LYN HOPKINS

Thames

Sport or hobby

I read your opinion article (Waikato Times, November 4) "Bikers should pay their bill" and was compelled to write.

What you and the Government have failed to realise is that motorcycling is a sport or hobby, just like motocross, rugby, skiing, mountain climbing, horse riding, cycling (the list goes on) all of which cost ACC millions yet no extra ACC is charged.

Just because our activity is on the road the ACC sees us as an easy way of being milked of some more tax and the other activities as too hard to administer.

As for the number of casualties you stated, they need to be put into context. You said there were 1446 casualties in 2008 (1350 according to published government figures), 100 per cent more than 2000. The increase per 10,000 registered bikes rose only about 20 per cent.

But why choose the year 2000? Since 1972 the number has dropped about 75 per cent per 10,000 so bikes aren't as dangerous as they once were.

STEPHEN REYMER

Ohaupo

ACC explanations

In response to the ACC advertisement in the Times (November 5) about the levy increases for motorcyclists I would like to give my views. It is all a typical clever use of words. Normal puffery.

Quote: " ... in almost 60 per cent of cases, motorcyclists bore some or all of the responsibility for the crash."

Quote: "Motorcycle riders are 16 times more likely to make an ACC claim than other road users." (Is this because retards drive into them?)

Of course they would make more claims on a percentage basis as it hurts a lot more being hit by a car on a motorcycle than being hit by a car in a car and if they didn't pull out in front of us there would be a lot fewer accidents.

Quote: "Do the figures include off-road motorcycle claims ...?

"No. We're only asking motorcyclists to pay for injuries on public roads."

Huh, we all know the crash statistics include farm bikes, motocross and racing bikes but they are making out that crash stats are only for on-road crashes.

Give us a break. Bring in a points system. (Abridged)

NEIL RANSFIELD

Hamilton

Flawed figures

This letter is in response to your editorial "Bikers should pay their bill" (Waikato Times, November 4).

This is to inform you and your readers that figures that ACC have used to justify these increases are seriously flawed.

According to their own information, approximately 40 per cent of these "motorcycle" accidents are caused by cars, yet are included in the motorcycle statistics, not the car statistics.

If a cyclist or a pedestrian is hit and injured by a car, it is funded from the motor vehicle (car) levy, yet if the same happens to a motorcyclist (car at fault), it is funded from the motorcycle levy, which is inconsistent.

You mention that in 2008 there were double the motorcycle casualties compared with 2000. In 2008 there were many more registered motorcycles (and scooters) on the roads, maybe due to the high and inconsistent costs of fuel over this time, traffic congestion, city parking woes, etc.

We (motorcyclists) are not against paying more; however, the increases ACC are proposing are calculated using incorrect data which is, without doubt, inflating the figures for their own purposes. According to their own figures, per 10,000 motorcycles, motorcycling today is a lot safer than it has ever been. Instead, it would seem that high (and rising) medical costs are a major contributing factor.

BRUCE DELANEY

President

Hamilton Motorcycle Club

Hamilton's CBD

Hamilton City Council planning and Hamilton's developers seem rattled when it comes to understanding what gives with Hamilton's Golden Mile.

It once ran from the bronze plaque at the north end of Victoria St, past Bob's bronze cow, and ended near the bronze brewery vats. Somewhere betwixt they say is a riddle; Why ain't the central bits makin' gold no more?

Now Hamilton Library's reference section tells us Mr Blackburn and Mr Graham were steeped in the arts of Masonic town planning and while the Maori youngsters innocently played around their boots at Kirikiriroa, Mr Blackburn (Blackburn St) was busy drawing up a future town west of the river.

His final draft to Government was complete with the names of all future streets and the layout of Hamilton's business centre, with which we are all familiar. His friend Mr Graham (Graham St) was doing exactly the same for Hamilton East.

In our times of science and enlightenment we don't buy into embedded symbolism in a town's plan. Symbols intended to exercise power over a town and its people are not for today. The Masonic symbols embedded in Hamilton's layout usually suggest: break the rules and be cursed. Well now, that's silly but what to do? (Abridged)

ROD HOOKER

Hamilton

Dental service

I was disappointed to read your article about our mobile dental clinics (Waikato Times, "Mobile clinics washing mercury down drains", October 27) and it concerns me that the inaccuracies and innuendo have affected readers' confidence in the School Dental Service.

All waste emitted into the sewerage system and amalgam collected from our mobiles is in accordance with industry standards.

In fact, the waste is managed so that toxicity levels are the same as that entering the waste water system at your home when brushing your teeth.

The clinics are compliant with councils' trade waste regulations without amalgam separators because dental therapists remove very few amalgam fillings. The separators are part of a plan to future-proof the mobiles but like all businesses, budgets are planned and timelines set.

Because the separators are not urgently required, the funding has been reallocated to higher priority areas.

I am confident that separators will be installed when budgets allow, before the service expands to older children.

You will be aware of the exciting changes planned for the School Dental Service and I want to reassure you that we will work closely with councils and affected schools to meet all consent requirements, including waste regulations.

DIANE PEVREAL

Manager School Dental Service

Waikato District Health Board

Light buses

I refer to the article "City bus usage hit by recession" (Waikato Times, November 5) and offer my opinion that it is not just the recession causing the drop in patronage but rather that huge, lumbering buses are a totally wrong concept for Hamilton.

Most of these expensive-to-run 50-odd-seater buses seldom seem to have more than half a dozen people aboard, have fixed routes, infrequent services, occupy huge road space and have similar sized bus stops taking up valuable city parking space.

The solution is to scrap these colossuses and replace them with 12-seater mini-vans which are economical, nimble, don't need fixed routes, can stop to pick up and set down anywhere and will travel much more frequently to pick up business anywhere.

Also the licences for them could be offered for sale by tender to owner-drivers and neither Hamilton City Council nor Environment Waikato would need to further subsidise public transport.

If necessary, fare schedules could be dictated and this would be reflected in what operators paid for their licences.

This system works extremely well in Hong Kong.

M WINTER

Hamilton

Literacy and all that

A recent Cambridge University-led review of primary schools in England recommends the scrapping of SATS (Scholastic Aptitude Test and Scholastic Assessment Test) exams and league tables. The Government, it says, is imposing a state theory of learning with Stalinist overtones through its literacy and numeracy strategies.

Next year our Government imposes its own literacy and numeracy programmes, which can be seen as similar to those of England.

The overtones used by Minister of Education Anne Tolley in supporting her plans have, to me, a similar ring as those spoken of in the Cambridge review. So here we go once more, Back to the Future.

PETER TRIM

Hamilton

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