All power to hydro

This hydro development was not "disastrous" at all.

The Snowy Mountains scheme was originally designed as an irrigation scheme – to redirect some, but not all, of the tremendous flows of the Snowy River away from the south (to Orbost) westwards to the Murray, which supported a huge agricultural area.

It was only during the later design stages that the authority realised that all this diverted water – using dams, tunnels and pipelines – could actually power turbines, just like in Tasmania. So the power stations were built and more clean electricity was generated.

Unlike China and other places mentioned by Mr White, the dams of the HEC and the SMA did not "flood great tracts of fertile land". Indeed, as noted above, the Snowy scheme improved the fertility of a vast area of fertile land, to Australia's benefit.

Hydro-power is not "anachronistic" – it remains the only system that can "store" power produced during off-peak times (using reversible pump-turbines), to be used to meet the peak demands.

Hydro is a far more reliable clean, green and renewable source of energy than solar or wind power.

Paul EBowler, Holder

Architecturally, Tony Trobe distinguished between male and female styles ("Sex and the suburban revival", Sunday CT, All Homes, November 1, p27). At one extreme he wrote of "testosterone-driven self-expression ... with little regard for the public realm".

He developed this theme, writing, "Americans have long championed the primacy of the individual over the group". I guess he's too young to remember Pete Seeger singing Malvina Reynolds' song, "Little boxes on the hillside/Little boxes made of ticky-tacky/ Little boxes on the hillside/Little boxes all the same."

The perspective here is spoiled by ongoing, spec-built, new estates. It wouldn't do to set the bar too high.

Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor

The publication of Peter FitzSimon's book on Fromelles is timely, being 100 years since the Battle of Fromelles next July. ("Fromelles extract: A summer's evening in hell", Sunday CT, November 1). The extract from the book explains the horrendous night in 1916 when in less than 24 hours Australia lost 1990 soldiers, with 3600 injured. After almost 100 years these brave men have not been recognised by any government and there is still a space on the Australian National Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux in France where Fromelles should be inscribed to honour these forgotten men.

Why should this be a forgotten battle? It was Australia's first action on the Western Front and is just as relevant as any other battle of World War I.

Hopefully another book on Fromelles will draw more attention to this battle and moves will be made to honour these men in time for the 100th anniversary.

Robyn Lewis, Raglan, NSW

Tread very carefullyIf the light rail is to be built, the Canberra Community certainly deserves to know of a well-considered network, especially the most strategically placed corridors because as it stands, we have been shown something not yet firmed up.

Without doubt we can expect that Civic will be the hub from which all lines will radiate, surely connecting the major residential centres of Woden, Tuggeranong, Belconnen and Gungahlin.

Consideration will be given to Russell, the Parliamentary Triangle, the airport precinct and possibly even Fyshwick and Queanbeyan. A grand plan, but worthy of realistic big-picture considerations.

Such networks must be supported by a bus network that is realistic if we are to ever believe that the car-travelling Canberra community will actually catch the tram to work and other places. Would I travel from home in the Belconnen area to buy a large item from Fyshwick and suffer more than 120 minutes in travelling time? Not likely.

It's hard to be confident that the bus network will improve to be fully supportive. The cost, of course, is a huge undertaking but if well planned and properly presented, we might just get it.

Some corridors will involve bridges and overpasses and more land acquisition and I wonder how much carry-on there will be in the Triangle.

The ACT government already has a testy relationship with the NCA, and what about the trees that will get the chop?

There's already plenty of comment about the Northbourne Avenue trees and did I hear that overhead wires won't be tolerated in certain areas? Brace yourselves folks. War is coming.

It occurred to me that if our city planners from way back were really visionaries, they would have identified public transport corridors and those following would have maintained those places for when the day arrived to seriously consider a suitable public transport system. It's not as though trains, trams and buses were only just thought of.

And now we have to arm wrestle, grab land and play politics and pay outrageous costs for what could have been easily visualised and achieved.

Martin Luther King once said, "I have a dream." Well, I have a fear. A fear that we will enter into a project that may financially strangle our city, or that we may end up with a single light rail Stage1 track that doesn't do the city much good at all.

So who has the courage to make the really big decisions on behalf of us poor ratepayers? The least we expect is good financial management based on sound business practice rather than political point-scoring.

I, for one, wish I didn't have to wait till the elections next year, but then again, that's politics, isn't it? Please call it off sooner than later.

A.R.C.Henry, Hawker

Gungahlin is a town that is suffocating due to insufficient road infrastructure. As Gungahlin nears capacity, we are only just seeing some arterial road projects being completed – the GDE was only completed as a dual carriageway a few short years ago.

Necessary developments such as the duplication of most roads, and the grade separation of Gundaroo Drive over the Barton Highway are still so much "pie in the sky".

The recently announced road improvements are a fraction of what is needed, and years late. It is therefore perplexing how quickly the Cotter Road was fully duplicated after the first sods were turned in Wright and Coombs – the town of Molonglo has barely started.

What have we in Gungahlin done wrong? Has someone here offended a transport minister? Raspberry jam may be pleasant in the mornings, but I've had a gut-full of traffic jam.

Karl Schaffarczyk, Crace

Email: letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au. Send from the message field, not as an attached file. Fax: 6280 2282. Mail: Letters to the Editor, The Canberra Times, PO Box 7155, Canberra Mail Centre, ACT 2610.

Keep your letter to 250 words or less. References to Canberra Times reports should include date and page number. Letters may be edited. Provide phone number and full home address (suburb only published).