Cycleway management, Miranda traffic and health fund fees

Cycle paths around here are hotchpotch of dangerous confused uncertainty. They include one way, two way, combined pedestrian, some jammed between vehicle lanes, line marked, painted white or green, stenciled, faded.

Riders alongside parked vehicles risk hitting opening doors. Rules for turning at traffic lights are confusing. Roundabouts are nightmares.

Controllers of this dangerous muddled confused situation, include RMS, councils and Police.

MPs should take a 10km ride from their electoral office to get ‘‘pedals-on’’ experience.

Cycling management needs a specific NSW department. Cycling should be as pleasant, useful and safe as it in Holland. Cyclists, pedestrians and drivers would all benefit.

J Brett, Miranda

Interesting to read the letter regarding traffic difficulties in Cronulla (Your View, March 23).

All I can say is just be thankful that your not faced with the traffic problems  Miranda residents — and anyone driving through Miranda areas will have to contend with.

Those familiar with Miranda are already aware of the amount of traffic —and the lack of parking — which is the present situation.

Imagine how it will be when the Hong Kong style of development being encouraged at Miranda is completed.

For example in Urunga Parade,  a street that can only be entered or exited by The Kingsway – the first 10 storey building is about to be commenced – 103 units.

In the same street it has been marked for three or four of these monstrosities.

At the moment in peak times it can take several minutes for one car to enter into the Kingsway traffic from Urunga – but not to worry there has been a Traffic Impact Analysis done.

The results – at the moment residential vehicle trips from Urunga amount to 45 daily.

With ONE of these blocks of Units completed the daily vehicle trips increase to 517 daily an increase of 472.

Conclusion by the surveying unit, won’t make a bit of difference to traffic flow.

What do they say? Do the numbers – answers depend of course on what result you want.

Happy driving or maybe walk.

Don Groves, Miranda

Alfords Point Road a major traffic pinch point? (Leader, March 9). 

Rarely does it take more than three or four minutes to travel this road between Menai and the bridge, yet travel further south to the River Road and Grand Parade at Sutherland, and you will sit in traffic for over 10 minutes for a similar distance.

Even worse, head north to Stacey Street, Bankstown, where the journey often takes 15 minutes. The main contributor to the "bottleneck" on Alfords Point Road is motorists slowing down to read the overhead flashing sign advising that Audley Weir is closed, or there is smoke haze on Heathcote Road.

I’m sure the extended noise barriers will be appreciated by the residents, but the noise is not a pinch point.

Meanwhile the Heathcote Road bridge over Woronora River continues to be ignored. If statistics are any guide there will be at least one more life claimed or maimed on this road before the "bottleneck" is uncorked.

Or maybe it will be finished just in time for the next state election.

Fred Barendregt, Barden Ridge

My wife and I just received our health cover premium increase letter from NIB. 

Our premiums increased by 13 per cent but the disturbing note was that they are changing major dental annual limit from $1300 to $1000. 

The NIB brochure which we used to make our decision to stick with NIB this year advertised that all annual limits were for the calendar year 2016. 

Now NIB want to lower the limit three months into the calendar year. 

Is this a case for Fair Trading? Blatant false advertising by NIB.

No wonder their switchboard was closed down when I tried to call. 

Denis Roast, Sutherland

Re the article ‘‘Enough to make you shudder’’ (Leader, March 30).

Burraneer Bay Public School does not even provide students with basic toilet soap or drying facilities.  Obviously there is no program to promote hand washing after using the toilet and before eating – which is the best way to stop the spread of germs such as Norovirus. 

Despite repeated parent requests the school has not acted on this request for a number of years.  I wonder what the education departments stance is on this? 

Andrew, Burraneer

Thank you Des for your reply and critique of my letter (Your View, March 16) which I enjoyed reading.

Obviously from your letter you are very angry with the Catholic church for the crimes committed and the subsequent way the victims were treated, and rightly so.

However, in my defence, may I say that the overall tone of my item was more of disagreement with Joanne’s antagonistic style of writing, headlined by “Pell must go and the Pope must say why”, which was what spurred me to write in the first place.

I stated: “Finally, I take offence at Joanne advising what our Pope and Cardinal Pell must or must not do”, which was omitted in the Leader. 

I believe I paid adequate acknowledgement for her good work, as I also believe I was justified in my comments in defence of Cardinal Pell.  The interpretation people take from it is always open to question. I believe I made myself very clear throughout the entire item of my absolute abhorrence of what had occurred.

My only disappointment, Des, is that more of us haven’t taken time to “put pen to paper”. The reason many of these things happened, (and kept happening),  in the past is because people didn’t speak out.  

Frank Burgess, Engadine