Parking pain continues
Dear Echo News,
To read “disappointing to hear that the local community considers changes to design as being dishonest” highlights how the lived experiences perspective of planning challenges those of bureaucrats who have said one thing and done another.

At the very first consultation we were shown designs and were told, not consulted. All plans had plenty of parking, the fact that the road layout has changed with the number of northbound lanes, the continued rule breaking by drivers crossing from east to west, no road signage to stop illegal traffic regulations especially parking in Cale, and the constant dialogue of concerns being thrown around from MJA to CoS, do upset us.

Computer aided design and modelling has failed our personal experiences.

If there are ongoing issues and changes, then how does that look when we have had to trust that the foundation and the assumptions made by the Alliance and presented to us are solid and factual.

When parking is shown on the plan then it would have been costed. The same with rehabilitation of footpaths and verges.

This feels like a David and Goliath situation whereby Goliath can change the rules, say how benevolent he is, and yet brush aside the rising disappointment from those being trodden on.

We stand as squashed between the bureaucracies but still able to give voice to those we represent, our neighbours and fellow citizens, ratepayers all!

Thanks again Kevin, Sarah et al.
Dr. B Steels
Midland

Dutton’s fossil con
Dear Echo News,
Peter Dutton has now confirmed what most of us already knew, or at least suspected.
His Coalition is intent on allowing oil, gas and coal more time to pollute, and he’s supporting – and being supported by – the Fossil Fuel Lobby. It’s a con.

The big oil, gas and coal producers desperately want to keep making their profits at our expense and Mr Dutton is assisting them by firstly pushing the unworkable and water-muddying ‘nuclear option’.

He then abandoned the 2030 Carbon Reduction targets as ‘unrealistic’. This is, even by his standards, a cynical,but thankfully transparent attempt to con the Australian people.

If he fails to get elected, and loses his leadership role, will he then join one of the fossil fuel producer’s boards, like so many others before him? Watch that space.
P Carman
Hovea

Midland target for firearm thieves
Dear Echo News,
In response to the story on Firearms ownership Midland police district tops registered firearm ownership (Echo News, June 7). I say to Paul Papalia: in your efforts to so called “remove firearms from the community to create safer communities,” you now go and advertise to the public, the locations where there are higher rates of firearms ownership.

Well done! You have now just gone and advertised to the low life thieves and organised crime organisations which areas and suburbs they can now target to potentially acquire firearms to support their illegal industry.

If you are serious about public safety, spend your time, resources, and the buyback money on increasing your intelligence and monitoring of unlicensed and illegal firearms use and trade, rather than making legitimate licensed firearms owners the target yet again.

Now we have the government and the criminal elements of society targeting legitimate firearms owners.

This release of sensitive information shows a blatant disregard for “public safety”. I hope that in future correspondence you refrain from releasing sensitive, potentially harmful data.

This release of sensitive data may potentially cause an increase in firearms theft from licensed firearms owners - but that will only add to your agenda to remove them from society.

Your focus should be on recruiting more police, fixing the ever-increasing domestic violence issues, public nuisance and road safety - unlicensed children and teenagers riding motorbikes on the streets and the recreational walking trails in the hills, which are all more of a risk to the public than firearms.

You should revisit and educate yourself on the statistics of licensed firearms being used for crime related purposes, versus unlicensed firearms and other methods (knives, vehicles, hands and feet).

Forget your political agenda and quote facts rather than trying to gain votes using “public safety” as your agenda. Mental health checks for driver’s licenses and revoking the vehicles and licenses for reckless and dangerous drivers makes more sense, will save lives, and will increase “public safety”.

Well done Papalia on your disregard for “public safety”. You can certainly remove that from your next election agenda promise.
Name and Address Withheld

Walker St needs a footpath
Dear Echo News,
The ‘walk safely to school – National Road Safety Week’ message was highly visible on the large neon sign on Great Eastern Highway in May.

Many people took part in this worthwhile activity, enjoying the safe walk to school.
However, Mundaring Christian College is yet to have a proper footpath to their school on Walker Street to enable a safe walk to school.

This is despite the dangerous amount of traffic on this route, particularly at drop off and pick up times for students at Mundaring Christian College and also Mundaring Primary School.

Walker Street is the main access road for these two Primary schools.

This safety issue has been raised by myself three times in the last five years. Furthermore, I understand the school was given a commitment more than 10 years ago to address this serious problem.

The current pebble path is simply not adequate. Pedestrians, residents with prams, gophers and bicycles will continue to put their lives at risk whilst commuting along Walker Street.
J Ripley
Mundaring