As he well knows, cycleways there are physically segregated from both the roads and the pedestrian footpaths. Cyclists don't come within cooee of motorists or pedestrians.

Cycleways have their own traffic lights which give preference to cyclists ahead of motorists and pedestrians. Amsterdam is both flat and small — everything is close to everything else.

Cyclists proceed at a funereal pace, even in "peak hour", and don't need a shower when they reach work, uni or school — they never work up a sweat.

If the weather deteriorates, tiny purpose-built snow ploughs hit the cycleways at the sight of the first snow flake. Roads are tackled next and, as for footpaths, it's usually a case of "tough titty" (just ask my knees and my backside).

Canberra cyclists, in contrast, have either "shared use" paths teeming with pedestrians, roller bladers, dogs, prams, etc, or tiny slivers of roads separated by a painted line. With choices like that no wonder bike helmets are mandatory.

With choices like that only the insane or the really, really stupid would get on their bike without a helmet.

M Philip, Latham

The madness of Canberra's light rail project has been revealed by myself and many others for several years but generally Canberrans have remained ignorant of this public transport vandalism.

In my report for The Canberra Times of December 10, 2014, "The trouble with Canberra's light rail plan", I made it clear many northside residents would lose direct bus services to Civic and beyond.

I said then, "People from suburbs such as Kaleen and Giralang will probably have to change to the tram at Dickson, as will those travelling from northern suburbs such as Hackett and Watson. Gungahlin residents who have direct services to Civic now will have to join the tram from a feeder bus service to Hibberson Street."

Yet in his letter, "Transport Canberra's light rail madness has finally been revealed" (CT February 26) Bill Meani implies the public has only recently learned that buses will terminate at Dickson to force people on to the tram.

Understandably, people who have not followed this matter closely cannot know all of the government's plan to make its inefficient public transport even more inefficient.

This project is based on the government's obsession with development and has little if anything to do with public transport. So the government does not care that it will make journeys for many people longer and less comfortable.

No supporter of this $1billion project has shown how it will improve public transport or indeed transport generally.

And the dislocation now recognised by Bill Meani has not been widely promulgated by the government or Transport Canberra.

Far less expensive and far more efficient options were available but Canberra has been saddled with this project which in all likelihood will see a net loss of public transport passengers.

Graham Downie, O'Connor

Peter Waterhouse says Billy Graham's mission in Australia in 1959 "was responsible for a nationwide drop in crime rates, alcohol consumption, and for three years afterwards, the number of births out of wedlock" (Letters, February 24).

The proportion of births out of wedlock rose steadily, year by year, from 1959.

It took off more from the mid-1970s to its current level of around a third of births, which are at a much lower fertility rate than then. So say the ABS statistics.

Alcohol consumption rose steadily, year by year, from the early 1950s to its peak in the mid-1970s, from which it has now substantially declined. So say the ABS statistics.

There are no "nationwide crime rates" available from that period.

The first national uniform crime statistics were published by the Bureau of Statistics in 1993; before that, states had their own statistics, which were not collected consistently between states or on the same basis from time to time, and which were not good indicators of levels of crime (according to Dr Adam Graycar, on the ABS site).

However, what statistics there are suggest no drop in crime following Billy Graham's mission in Australia, though the most recent 30 years or so have probably seen a very substantial decline across most kinds of crime.

This coincides with the substantial overall decline of religiosity in Australia, though Talibangelicals are probably somewhat more numerous than before.

I don't think either correlation reflects causation at all.

Graham's rallies could not have caused the drops Waterhouse describes, because there were no such drops.

Christopher Hood, Queanbeyan

Michael White (Letters, February 24) in responding to Paul Glasziou's piece on prostate cancer screening is not inconsistent with the latter.

Paul Glasziou is professor of evidence-based medicine at Bond University and a part-time general practitioner.

The essential point of the article was that, to save a life, a considerable number of men are damaged needlessly as a result of overdiagnosis and unnecessary treatment.

Following rational analysis of the potential harms and benefits, Dr Glasziou and many of his medical colleagues have decided to forgo PSA testing.

Unless there are other risk factors such as family history of prostate cancer, professional bodies such as the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners are on a similar track.

Murray May, Cook

Recent actions by our conservative political leaders, past and present, have done nothing to increase Australians' trust in their governments. All the statements about the alleged importance of the Liberal/National coalition simply beggar belief by ordinary Australians. Nationals' deputy leader Bridget McKenzie then uttered a stream of platitudes and cliches in praise of departing leader Barnaby Joyce, whose "contributions" as Minister responsible for the Murray Darling Basin still need to be thoroughly re-examined by an independent body for their probity and adequacy.

Statements by other high-profile Coalition figures, inside and outside government, are mostly designed to increase mistrust.

Trevor Wilson, Chifley

Will Johnny Depp be helping Barnaby to enter the dog minding business?

Thos Puckett, Ashgrove

The Commonwealth government ran Canberra until 1988.

From 1988, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) has been self-governing.

Unlike the six state governments, the ACT government relies heavily on revenues from land-based taxes, rates, levies and stamp duties.

Now to The Canberra Times: ("Land plan bit rich: Greens", February 21, p1).

The Greens say that 4000 sites are to be released for development this year.

By way of contrast for this year, only 143 sites will be released for public housing.

The founding fathers of the ACT never dreamed that we'd have two Canberras.

Canberra One: In 2017 I saw more than 1000 public tenants losing homes to bulldozers.

Canberra Two: In 2018, I saw the same site, cleansed and rebadged as Founders Lane.

A Founders Lane exhibition entices people of quality to buy off-the-plan units.

Public housing is being demolished all along Northbourne Avenue.

What about homeless people? Dumped on charities and the market.

There are two Liberal parties in the ACT. Liberal Party One is led by Alistair Coe. Liberal Party Two is led by Andrew Barr. What happened to the ACT Labor Party?

It died from shame.

Graham Macafee, Latham

Why is there a shortage of teachers? They can't do their jobs.

It's not a criticism of their ability or effort but rather the administrative workload. Teachers want to teach, for which they have been studying for at least four years, but they are stuck with doing administrivia and repetitive professional development in order to stay registered.

What can be done to remedy this – at a reasonable cost and in a reasonable time? More money is always a positive although most people don't enter the profession for the financial rewards.

Respect for teachers has declined but it can't be addressed by governments but rather by individual teachers who earn it.

Let teachers teach and administrators administer. Don't have one person do both.

Dennis Fitzgerald, Box Hill, Vic

All the talk about a reduction in the company tax rate resulting in the Commonwealth Government's revenue reducing, has me at a loss.

Companies pay tax to the government based on their reported taxable income. The company then pays a dividend to the shareholders that includes any imputed credits that in total (maybe over some years) equals the total tax paid. The Australian shareholders are then repaid their imputed credits by the government (as cash or a reduction in the tax paid) and include them in their personal tax returns.

All company taxes paid, less that paid to non-Australians, are eventually returned to the shareholders and the government retains nothing. It is taxed as part of the shareholders' income.

The company tax could be set at zero, with some sort of foreign dividend tax, and the income to the Commonwealth government would be the same as now.

John Widdup, Lyneham

Recent letter writers have opined that school zones should be more clearly identified. I agree with them.

However, I disagree with the common recommendation that flashing lights be installed: I think that a simpler solution is available.

Some NSW school zones are identified with white triangles along the centre-lines; this solution is effective. Following that example I recommend that yellow 'S' signs (about half a metre across) be painted at about 30-metre intervals throughout school zones to attract drivers' attention. I further recommend that such a system be trialled at about 20 schools, preferably at those where speeding has been frequently identified.

Using similar logic I also recommend that speed limits be painted on centre lines, at about 100-metre intervals, on roads where speed limits are not intuitive, for example where several speed limits apply on the same road (eg Barton Highway and William Hovell Drive) or where the speed limit is unusual for the street's standard of road construction, eg where streets engineered for 60km/h limits are currently designated as 50km/h streets only by not installing 60km/h signs (eg Alfred Hill Drive Melba and Castieau Street Higgins).

Bob Salmond, Melba

Tom Gay's letter (February 19) concerning the problem posed by African lovegrass in urban Canberra and surrounding farmland will be welcomed by many who have been dealing with this pest for a long time.

As an occasional Landcare volunteer I have been pulling it up and bagging it on the relatively tiny patch under our care — an efficient method, but not possible on any kind of scale.

African lovegrass out-competes our native grasses, and so it is spread by the practice of mowing. Six times a year the government mows areas around housing and areas adjacent to walkways at some considerable cost, to reduce the fire hazard to property and reduce the danger from snakes.

I have been told that the reduction of the fire hazard is more apparent than real, as under extreme fire conditions wild fire will travel over closely mown grassland.

African lovegrass nourishes African fauna, but our cattle cannot digest it. Its uncontrolled spread presents a problem to which there is as yet no solution.

Harry Davis, Campbell

There was a massive backlash from the community against legalising advertising billboards in the ACT (2017 inquiry into billboards), yet the government, while accepting the committee's recommendations to keep them illegal, suggested there was an opportunity to "deliver community benefit, enliven the city etc" by examining the issue further ("Billboard rules up for review", February 23, p7).

The community's attitude is already quite clear. Outdoor advertising does not enliven a city, it degrades and makes it ugly.

Ailsa Lawton, Garran

AGREEMENT FLAWED

To me, the Coalition agreement is a funny arrangement if it doesn't allow the Prime Minister to dismiss, for cause, any of his cabinet. Malcolm needs to rewrite the agreement and include a phrase to the effect he can "dismiss a minister who has lost my confidence". Also, why is the agreement secret? Is it commercial-in-confidence because ministers (politicians) can be bought and sold?

Kenneth Griffiths, O'Connor

ANOTHER MOVE AHEAD?

Will the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority now be moved to the electorate of Riverina?

Sue Dyer, Downer

TEAM SOLIDARITY

Given Barnaby Joyce's recent downfall resulting in his choice to join an old conservative friend Tony Abbott on the backbench, perhaps a new theme might suit Abbott's patient waiting to reassume that coveted mantle of a new leadership: "I shot the Sheriff, but I did not shoot the Deputy."

Greg Simmons, Lyons

PM EMBARRASSING

Embarrassing to see Prime Minister Turnbull following President Trump around in Washington like a simpering schoolboy, waiting for the occasional pat on the head from the erratic Donald. It is hard to imagine prime ministers such as Whitlam, Hawke and Keating behaving in such a passive way.

John Davenport, Farrer

UNCTUOUS SYCOPHANCY

The most obscene thing I have seen on television lately is Malcolm Turnbull's unctuous sycophancy towards the United States and the dotard blowhard currently leading it.

Paul McElligott, Aranda

THE GREAT DIVIDE

To fence or not? Where does it end? The entire lake then Ginninderra, Tuggeranong and all the other water features appearing in our new suburbs?

Nick Corby, Hawker

PARANOIA SHOWING

Defence rightly rejects Huawei mobiles ("China-made phones ditched," CT, February 25, p8). Mine follows me everywhere I go – in my hip pocket. In certain lights a face is visible on the glass. I know that every word I write goes direct to President Xi in Beijing. Let's not be fooled by Xi's avuncular appearance, he's out to get us. We must take great care.

Percy Vere, Dickson

OVER THE TOP

What gives with Danny Katz's header, "Oy-vey, what's with the cultural appropriation schmucks!" (Forum, February 24, p12)? I do not find being addressed as a stupid, mug loser in the least bit funny. If he wasn't talking about Yiddish I would consider the author an arrogant bigot but I can't do that. It would be racist, wouldn't it?

Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor

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