Canberra Times letters to the editor: Leave the lake alone

Of course the theft of 2.8 hectares of lakebed is small bickies in an area of 664 hectares and there is lots more lakebed and lake edge for the taking. Another decent chunk is already planned for plunder in the Acton Peninsula draft design. By the time the grand-descendants of Whiney and his dog Voss are running around, be assured there will be no natural lake edge in West Basin, few pesky waterbirds, let alone annoying water rats and platypus.

There will instead be lots of gorgeous rigid retaining walls and concrete promenades like at the new park constructed with millions of taxpayer money for the West Basin apartment dwellers.

Recently I consulted with the ducks, the coots, cormorants and swans in an ACT style "meet the residents" workshop. They were unanimous in their disgust of retaining walls covering all of the beaches and lake-edge habitats in West Basin. They also noted that human children and roos can't get out when they fall into the lake from retaining walls. They believe that the lake landscape is of national significance and are grateful to the international heritage bodies that protect their visiting foreign Snipe friends and the lake landscapes.

They are irritated by Whiney's continual squawking about Copenhagen's post-industrial seafront where there is sea water flow but not a bird in sight.

But despite Whiney having too much lake water in his sanctimonious brain, it is time he learnt about environmental lake liveability and climate change and stopped demonising lake protectors.

They also noted that Voss should not cavort in lake edge waters, disturbing wildlife, but be slapped into the pound along with his verbose and careless owner.

Arch-Grumbletonian, Juliet Ramsay, Convenor Lake Burley Griffin Guardians, Burra

A Sunday morning at the Jamison Trash and Treasure Market, buying fresh produce grown by hard-working locals and sold at a quarter of the price of the big supermarkets, can be a pleasant experience. It's a popular market so parking within walking distance, especially for us oldies who do not have a disabled sticker, is always difficult to find.

I, along with many others, resorted to parking on a large granite area near the Southern Cross Club.

We weren't impeding traffic or blocking a driveway. A week later I received a parking fine notice for $114. It had been generated by a mobile Licence Plate Recognition Camera – not even a human parking inspector on the day.

Is the ACT government that desperate, sneaky and cold-hearted to score revenue at 9am on a Sunday morning and under these circumstances? Is this an addiction?

In future, it will be easier and cheaper to go to my local supermarket and park underground for free AND this ageing Canberra Times reader will remember at the next election!

Mario Pellegrino, Gungahlin

Last week in New Zealand I had the pleasure of riding on Christchurch's tram which, unlike our overblown folly, runs on a loop around the city's major tourist attractions. A $NZ25 ($23) ticket gives you all-day hop-on-hop-off access and the drivers provide expert and entertaining commentary about the sights and attractions.

Instead of shiny new cars, theirs are beautifully restored historic trams, some locally built and some from overseas, including one from Melbourne. The cars themselves are tourist attractions. They all have plenty of seating and they were well patronised during the several hours we used them.

What a lost opportunity. I reckon that a tram running past the airport, the War Memorial, and around the parliamentary precinct would have actually been a useful, practical, and lucrative proposition while still compensating our politicians for their childhood train-set deprivation.

Fred Pilcher, Kaleen

Builders on Cape St, Dickson,are parking behind on the canal. They have created a dirt road, totally ruined part of the footpath, damaged gutters and killed the grass.

In addition, their trucks have destroyed the nature strip on Challis St on the other side of the canal.

Who is going to do the repairs? Who pays? When?

Geoff Davidson, Braddon

I'm worried that popular belief says we need more young people to support an ageing population.

One that is too old doesn't have enough working to support the old. Yet one that is too young is by definition growing (yet to have children). That's bad for the environment — and they eventually get old — and need more to support them — it's dumb, like a pyramid sales scam.

So what is the optimum population profile? One without bulges, booms and busts that requires significant infrastructure change and waste, ie the same number of people at each age. Those being born/arriving the same as those dying/leaving. If we assume life expectancy is 82 years, then the optimal median age should be 41.

Australia's median age is 37. So we should transition the population and the economy to support a slightly older population, and without needing population growth to prop it up.

The belief that the population can grow forever is lunacy. For those who support population growth — how do you see the population eventually stabilising?

I suggest the earlier it is stabilised, the less painful it will be.

We can influence but can't change the population policy of other nations — but we can think and act about our own.

Greg Dunstone, Bruce

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.

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