Perth Voice Interactive

Give it a go
I WAS disappointed to read Marina Foster’s letter regarding the inconvenience of the proposed bicycle lanes down Scarborough Beach Road.
Don’t all modes of transport deserve to arrive at their final destination safely? That is what these segregated bike lanes will allow.
I’ve ridden on that stretch of road before and it’s extremely dangerous. The protected lanes mentioned will be built as part of a greater bicycle network and studies have shown that making safer pathways will encourage more people to use them. I’m excited about the City of Vincent’s bike network and I encourage Marina to give it a go rather than criticising it before it’s built.
Stephanie Lim
Victoria St, West Perth

Restore the lunch, Brent
LOOKS like Brent Fleeton (Voice Mail, October 10, 2015) was the only one without the insight to realise the state government paid for “ the old planks of wood” beside the new Seventh Avenue bridge. Oops!
Brent Fleeton says he’s worried about “struggling seniors” and rate rises yet clearly supports the City of Bayswater’s million-dollar spend on the Liberal government’s failed council mergers.
We all had to endure a rate rise to cover the loss — “struggling seniors” included. At the election two years ago each councillor’s meeting fees rose to $30,000+ per annum — an astonishing rise over previous years. However, many of the traditional committees were abandoned when most councillors at Bayswater were not prepared to devote time to sit on them.
Perhaps Mr Fleeton, if elected, might donate part of his meeting allowance to help restore the annual early settlers luncheon that had been so appreciated by the “struggling seniors”.
Anne Christie
East St, Maylands

Cars to blame
THOSE blaming the new bike lane on Scarborough Beach Road, Mt Hawthorn, for traffic congestion are missing the obvious. Congestion is caused by too many motor vehicles all trying to use the same road at the same time.
There is no such thing as a “car lane”. Roads are for transporting people and increasingly bicycles are part of this. It is appropriate that local councils provide safe, separated bike lanes. After all, cyclists also pay the income taxes and council rates that fund roads (not registration, as claimed).
Perth has grown into a big city. It is no longer reasonable to expect you can get in your car and travel wherever you want totally unimpeded by anyone else. If you want that, maybe you should try riding a bike? Or support making it easier for other people to do so.
Rhys Stacker
Joondanna

Wider path makes more sense
TO add to the comments on the Scarborough Beach Road cycle paths, I have to be honest: I have seen two cyclists using them over the last month, but the other Saturday morning there was a peleton of about 25. Not one was on the cycle paths. Instead, they blocked the little part of the road that has been left for vehicles.
I am in favour of cycle paths, but they need to be planned and have real money spent on them, instead of haphazard spending of money. It annoys me that the footpaths still have nature strips intact, so that we have footpath, nature strip, cycle path, a new sort of nature strip and a very narrow roadway with the same thing repeated on the other side. A wider path on one side of the road, cutting into the footpath would have made more sense.
Robert Bannister
Tennivale Pl, North Perth