Bigger push needed for electric vehicles in fight against emissions

The most effective way of achieving this aim is to shift from vehicles powered by fossil fuels to those powered by electricity. For a start, Canberra's buses, which of course only operate within city limits, are ideally suited to a phased replacement with electric vehicles.

Taxis are also an obvious candidate for replacement by electric vehicles, and it is pleasing to see that a significant number of taxis are already electric.

Private cars that are used either largely or entirely for commuting within the city should be the next target for replacement by electric vehicles. The ACT government would do well to financially support and/or encourage such a change.

On the issue of Canberra's built environment, there is a clear trend towards smaller blocks of land and larger houses, notably in parts of Gungahlin and in Molonglo. These areas can be up to 20 degrees hotter in the peak of summer than areas with plenty of trees and other vegetation, such as parts of inner Canberra.

The obvious answer in new suburbs is to plant as many trees as possible and to establish areas of lawn and garden as large as possible. The need for this strategy will of course become greater as global warming progresses.

Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin

John Mckerral's claim that coal is the cheapest way to meet baseload demand (Letters, November 26) is about as useful as claiming solar PV is the cheapest way to produce power at noon, or that wind turbines are the cheapest way to produce power when it is really windy.

Our electricity market needs to have generation supply matching demand during every second of the year, and not just at 4am when demand is lowest. Demand is highly variable, and coal is not flexible enough to meet it at every moment. Thus, historically coal generation has been supplemented with more flexible gas and hydro in our electricity system. As our existing coal generators reach end of life, we must decide what is the best way to replace them. This is the question that was recently answered by AEMO, our electricity market operator, in its integrated system plan. While maintaining reliability and security of supply, it found the lowest cost solution to replacing the retiring coal generation was a mixture of solar, wind and storage, with a comparatively small amount of flexible gas generation.

Each year as wind, solar and storage gets cheaper, and the external costs of coal become more evident, it is increasingly clear that a mostly solar and wind generation system is the best way forward, both environmentally and economically.

David Osmond, Dickson

Properly located transit lanes would address the Prime Minister's concerns about traffic congestion ("Morrison must avoid population populism", November 22, editorial) and help ACT Labor to meet its commitment "to increasing the public transport share of all work trips to 16 per cent by 2026." They would encourage more people to travel as car passengers rather than as car drivers. They would also increase patronage on buses using the proposed underground bus interchange ("Going below for bus interchange", November 21, p1).

Locating the interchange directly under the Alinga Street light rail terminus would allow bus passengers to get to light rail, and to east Civic and west Civic, without having to cross up to six lanes of 60km/h traffic ("Northbourne Ave speeds to remain", November 18, p5).

Leon Arundell, Downer

Someone said, "All planning is political". However, the planning and design of the most revered part of our national capital must surely be above politics.

Nevertheless, a defeat of the current federal government by Labor at the coming election could smooth the way for the ACT Labor government's stage 2 light rail, Civic-Woden, a significant section of which runs through the Commonwealth-controlled national triangle.

Regardless of the outcome of the election, if Australia is to maintain a world-class national capital, many agree that a significant section of the currently planned light rail in the central national area needs to be relocated.

Evidence on this topic recently presented to the Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories, supported that.

A light rail system has unique physical characteristics as a form of local public transport. Its route is fixed in place, and involves a range of elements more suited to, and redolent of a typical urban environment. Increasingly, light rail's intent is to facilitate, control, and express property and commercialism. However, the national triangle is not and never should be an "urban" nor a "commercial" place.

Accordingly, many regard the ACT government's preferred route as unsuitable, because light rail is destructive of, and not compatible with the heritage, form, function, semiotics, and ambience of that place. Naïve, image-driven, commercial factors are clearly driving the choice of the ACT's route.

Jack Kershaw, Kambah

I wonder why the Liberal Party keeps trotting out John Howard at election time?

Howard is not an economic conservative and a social radical but the opposite – an economic radical and a social conservative. His presence in Wentworth and Victoria made no positive impact on the Liberal vote; perhaps the opposite. Australians realised they did not want this Iraq warmonger in 2007 when they voted the Liberals out and Howard lost his seat.

I realised he was a war monger in 2002-03 and opposed his policy on Iraq but I was suspended from the party.

Adrian Jackson, Middle Park, Vic

The Turnbull/Morrison federal government is allegedly viewed as a disorganised rabble in chaos, yet it has managed to achieve the lowest unemployment rate since 2012, a growing economy ahead of official projections and, according to a report by Deloitte Access Economics, a projected budget surplus for the first time in years.

In view of the above achievements, the mind boggles when one considers what they would be capable of once they get themselves organised. With a federal election just round the corner, I would urge all eligible voters to consider their options very carefully, as they could very well find themselves jumping out of the frying pan, and into the fire, with a change to a Bill Shorten-led Labor government.

Mario Stivala, Spence

Amanda Vanstone, in her article in the The Canberra Times of November 26, questions the wisdom of Mr Shorten's proposal that a Labor government would hold a general referendum on a republic, citing that this would be a bad mistake.

Australia is already a republic in all but name and the fact that the Governor General has "reserve powers" which enables him to act independently of the advice of his prime minister and executive council. He apparently derives these "powers" from our head of state, the Queen, whom he represents. Presumably the state governors might have similar "powers".

We have a classic example of the exercise of such power by a governor-general and by the state governor of NSW. The Queen is obliged, by convention nowadays, to accept our prime minister's recommendation of whom should be her representative.

It is highly doubtful that Mr Shorten or any Australian prime minister would wish to preserve such "reserve powers" in the head of state of an Australian republic.

There is sufficient evidence that suggests the majority of Australians favour a republic without any need to ask that simple question again and at some expense to us all.

What we want from Mr Shorten is a clear statement of just what he means by "republic".

If he is saying he wants to amend the Constitution by replacing the head of state by a suitable Australian citizen with a clearly defined role, power and responsibility then we might have something to think about, particularly if given previous vote on this subject, he proposed an acceptable method to choose this Australian and laid out all the changes to the Constitution that this entailed.

He might also need to limit any referendum to this issue alone, given that there is nothing to suggest that the states might accept any wider proposals that could affect their relationship with the federal government: a relationship that underpinned their drive to create our nation and their agreement to the Constitution so long ago.

A Labor government might be well advised to rethink their proposal and together with the states put our money towards a solution that is capable of a clear vote and will not put us back 20 years as Ms Vanstone fears.

B L West, Deakin

Your article of November 26 "Black Friday tipped to beat Boxing Day" is a black day indeed.

I'd never heard of it until I received at least 20 emails extolling the virtues of that day which I happily moved to the rubbish (sorry, trash) bin.

Surely we don't need another "Sales" day.

We already have Boxing Day, Easter, Mother's and Father's days, just got over Halloween which becomes a larger promotion each year and then of course eagerly awaiting (I'm kidding) the pre-Xmas sales.

There is a limit to the consumer dollar, so why do we have to import this American construct and with so many "sales" is there any genuine price or just different "sales" prices?

Eric Hodge, Pearce

Once again Pedal Power ("Calls for walkers and bikes to be separated", November 26, p2) is asking government to spend more money on cycle paths and separate lanes on roads – if Northbourne Avenue hasn't already had enough spent on it – and now around our lakes: $13.5million a year and another $71.4 million over the next four years. The government would be better off spending that type of money on cleaning up the lakes, walking paths, roads and surrounds of rubbish and grass so people using them don't need a sat-nav to find their way around. Maybe these cyclists, instead of using the paths as race tracks, slow down to a reasonable speed and show some courtesy, get a life, learn to live and associate with the rest of the community so sharing becomes a pleasure. If cyclists are not happy sharing paths with walkers around the lakes, get off your bike, throw them in the lake and walk like everyone else.

Errol Good, Macgregor

Regarding the article "Cyclists call for separation of walkers and bikes on busy paths" (November 26, p2) and comments by Pedal Power ACT, though I am not an avid cyclist I support the thinking going on here.

If the ACT government needed some vision, here is the issue!

I am very tired of unending reports of collisions between pedestrians, cyclists and motor vehicles. Every story is a sad reflection over the death of, or serious injury to, a loved person, caught in a collision where there is no separation of transport type.

What about a new system of cycle paths be established throughout Canberra – completely for the specific and exclusive use of cyclists – no pedestrians?These cycle paths would be exclusively for the use of commuters and recreational cyclists providing fast, safe and direct connections with the major town centres using under and over passes to exclude or reduce any interaction with other traffic. As the "Bush Capital" we have swaths of land between suburbs which would be ideal for such a transport structure. There are already cycle paths in place that would satisfy such conditions.

These cycle highways would be partly funded by a universal but modest registration of all cyclists. This is a similar scheme to the fees that motor vehicles pay for the use of government-provided roads.

It would need government financial and political support.

This as a good long-term investment for cyclists (and the community) because we are providing a safe and effective transport system, separating cyclists from pedestrians and from motor vehicles of all kinds.

Pedestrians would be happy that they are enjoying a passive walking zone without cyclists who like to travel at commuter speeds. Cyclists would be happy that they are secure on their own track and not threatened by larger motor vehicles and trucks.

Motor vehicle drivers will be happy because they now no longer need to deal with the sometimes unpredictable behaviour of cyclists who now require a metre safety zone when passing.

Who knows – we might be able to do away with rules about bike helmets.

Steve Provins, Latham

LEADING FROM BEHIND

Liberal politicians around the country at state as well as federal levels are fond of saying that people are sick and tired of leadership instability.

Has it really escaped their attention that the only instability is within their own party? Labor has almost completed two full terms with the same leader. Not even the Greens can say that.

Keith Hill, Isaacs

CYBER GRIEF

Digital Transformation Minister Keenan will presumably be responsible for the "truly personalised" message of condolence and empathy to be delivered by the "grief robot" – presumably in its downtime from its "robodebt" collecting duties – to those registering a loved one's death ("All services 'online by 2025"', November 22, p6)!

Albert M. White, Queanbeyan, NSW

ROAD RUES

I read recently that it is no longer correct to say that you are stuck in traffic, but that you are the traffic.

Gary Frances, Bexley, NSW

WHITHER ALISTAIR?

Has anyone received a postcard from Alistair Coe? When is he back?

B. J. Millar, Isabella Plains

MARTIAN CHRONICLE

My husband doesn't think it is fair that NASA can get a meter reader to measure Insight's altitude as it lands on Mars, when we can't get one here on Earth to reliably measure our gas usage.

Lyndal Thorburn, Greenleigh, NSW

BOLT HAMMERS ON

Of course Andrew Bolt would lay the blame for the Victorian Liberal loss on Matthew Guy given his role in campaigning got the ouster of Turnbull federally last August.

Keith Hill, Isaacs

WHAT SAVING?

Electric bike versus drones – where are the savings?

How many trips does Australia Post need to complete to deliver 1000 letters to residents in Bonython in one day? Answer: One trip by a postie on his electric bike.

How many trips does a drone need to complete to deliver 1000 letters to residents in Bonython in one day? Answer: That would be 1000 noisy trips.

Where is the economy of scale and saving in this?

Andrea Sheather, Bonython

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