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Centre support
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but when given, should be correct and mindful of others who represent the best interests of our community.
I am one of six enthusiastic, willing volunteers at the Warkworth Information Centre, representing our area to visitors and locals.
We currently provide assistance five days a week, giving information on transport, services, accommodation, places and what’s on.
Warkworth Information Centre has applied to the Local Community Board for financial assistance to operate six days a week. This was reported in the latest Mahurangi Matters (Mar 30) under the negative headline: “Information Centre drains One Mahurangi”. Then, in “We Say” the paper shows it doesn’t support Warkworth Information Centre. It talks about “volunteers getting the boot” and says One Mahurangi shouldn’t support the Information Centre. Instead, it suggests visitors google “Warkworth” for information.
I call Mahurangi Matters out on this.
Current and previous volunteers have continually and enthusiastically promoted Warkworth as a special place. None were “given the boot.”
To suggest their work can be done by staring at phones and googling “Warkworth” is unimaginative, unsustainable and anti-social.
It’s better that Warkworth is represented by smiling, helpful faces, who chat, laugh, know somebody who knows somebody, and provide a personal service.
Let’s keep Warkworth a place where people talk, smile, acknowledge one another with a wave and share information face to face.
Come on Mahurangi Matters. Support our people who volunteer their time and try their hardest to promote Warkworth. Don’t undermine their work and make Warkworth a search on Google.
Bubbles Burke, Warkworth Information Office
Cars not prams
When I saw the headline ‘Road safety upgrades get green light’ (MM Mar 16), I first thought it was in response to my contacting Auckland Transport (AT) on January 24, regarding the latest victim of the Falls Road creek causeway. I requested AT to install a safety barrier along the lower side of the causeway to prevent more people being swept into the creek, which has a deep and dangerous pool almost adjacent to the causeway. I have heard of three drownings to date, there may be more.
A sturdy steel motorway crash barrier would make it a lot safer for minimal investment of money or time.
When I spoke to Tim [Holdgate] on the Local Board, he told me they are instead doing surveys of road/river crossings in Australia. What? Why?
To my surprise, the funding article referred to the allocation of funds for much more important improvements, such as putting a pram crossing on the Hudson Road and Falls Road (Hill St) intersection. This apparently rules out putting a roundabout at this difficult intersection (otherwise the pram crossing would have to be moved further away, which might inconvenience someone with a pram).
Are they insane? Anyone familiar with Hudson Road knows that the intersection with Falls Road is an accident waiting to happen. There is very limited visibility to the right, when exiting from Hudson Road, due to the curve of Falls Road. If ever an intersection needed either a set of lights or, even better, a roundabout, it is this one. Hudson Road has no footpaths, it is a winding country back road. I have never seen anyone pushing a pram along it; not once.
How many prams are we expecting along Falls Road? Why should the convenience of an occasional pram be more important than the hundreds of vehicles using this difficult intersection every day?
Jim Rolfe, Sandspit, jim@sub.co.nz
