Letters, Aug 4
More taxi woes
Re. Ten Taxis using 18 parking spaces.
I had correspondence about this published earlier but today (28 / 07) raised my hackles again. I was on The Terrace from 2.50pm until 3.25pm and taxis were taking up 10 of 18 available spaces, and once again the public had to try and find [alternate] parks. No money was paid into the machines until a lady warden started a walk past.
The two car cab ranks they have should be made into 10-minute Loading Zones from 0800 to 1800, and then there would be no need for the taxis to wait to get onto the rank and prevent the public from a city asset. I voted on your Taxi Poll and like many others hope something will happen soon.
Trevor Guilbert, Strathmore.
Bums on bikes
Why do bums on bikes not have to obey traffic lights like us real people?
This morning on the way to work one of them – without a crash hat I might add – snuck through our traffic jam, wobbled on his bike while he waited for a gap in the traffic and then rode right through the intersection against the red light which was holding up the rest of us .
I see it often, and they irritate me.
Jenny Mathes, Wainuiomata.
Encroachments
Good on the Council for considering increasing encroachment charges. (Capital Times, July 28). It’s time these parasites paid. One of your interviewees claims that carpad encroachments are a public service because they take cars off the road. They do that all right, but only at the cost of reducing the number of parking spots. Instead of a free roadside space anyone could use, carpad owners take that slot out of circulation. Forever. What’s more, they get a guaranteed spot, unlike Residents Parking Permit users who must pay $100+ a year then prowl the streets for a park.
Just pay up and stop whining!
B. Dino, Mt Victoria.
Courtenay Place art boxes
Driving down Courtenay Place I couldn’t help but notice the public art installations – those large rustic rectangles we residents paid for. This current display is appalling, and looks like a 15 year-old girl’s photography experiment. Are we to clap the mediocre efforts of local artists on our main street?
Imagine someone visiting our capital and seeing this display of our “best and brightest”. Abhor.
W. Lineman, Hataitai.
Not very Christian
I’d like to apologize for misnaming, in my July 28 letter headed Money Matters (printed without any signature [our mistake – Ed]), Wellington’s Downtown Ministry, which I absentmindedly called the Downtown Mission. However, both of those names, having a traditional association with Christians and Christianity, are scarcely appropriate for that particular charity, and for quite a lot other organizations and programmes which may have begun under Christian auspices, but ceased to be Christian many years ago, whether or not they still pretend to be. As the Downtown Ministry is now openly secular, it would be more honest to rename it accordingly. Yes, I know the word “ministry” is also used in secular contexts, but rarely for a secular private charity. I’m also uncomfortable that the YMCA/YWCA organization still continues to use initials that originally stood for “Christian Association” when they haven’t engaged in any Christian efforts for generations now. As for charities directly sponsored by Churches, obviously many of them might as well drop titles including “Christian” and “Mission”, since they do not make the least effort to teach and spread Christ’s Gospel. (As their clergy and volunteers are themselves usually not converted Christians, they mostly wouldn’t be able to!) For example, while the Anglican Wellington City Mission does indeed do a great deal of fine social work, it doesn’t even try to evangelise anyone while some of the City Missioners I can remember since 1960 seemed neither spiritual nor of practical use; and the job has had some incumbents whose main goal was seemingly to boost their own ego, renown, and social status!
H Westfold, Miramar.
Encroachment
Anyone own an apartment balcony? This could be more than just double dipping. Didn’t we just have another rates increase? One wonders what other ideas will be proposed after the election. Is this a council you are proud to have voted for (or allowed into power by not voting)?
Mark Greening, Wellington.
The big screen
I was thinking about our Golden Mile after reading a letter deriding the “big screen” on the Empire Theatre. When I went to look at the monstrosity my regard for our “cultural capital” plummeted. Juxtaposed to the screen are giant advertising billboards, which wreck the aesthetically pleasing nature of the building, and I agree the screen should go, or be put to better use.
In Sao Paulo, Brazil, outdoor advertising was banned because the people couldn’t afford the items on display. Although Wellington doesn’t suffer this socio-economic fate, we suffer from excessive commercialisation. The idea of banning outdoor advertising was mooted in Auckland not so long ago, but because the advertising industry wept so publicly it was dropped.
Can Wellington have the steel to say we are a city not beholden to capital? That we don’t want damn advertising dollars, and that we have a style!
R. Fredrick, Miramar
Death of Labour?
Listening to Chris Carter unskilfully try to evade direct questions during Maggie Barry’s interview on radio talkback, he has convinced me, a Labour supporter of 50 years, that the party is in such disarray, that not one of their lot could lead them to an election victory in the foreseeable future. A crying shame! Helen’s legacy has left the party so queer in their agenda that I doubt if the Dalai Lama could lead them to higher aspirations. Winston Peters, of Super Gold card fame, may give us hope, if he does decide to enter the fray; otherwise it’s National for the next decade, and a crash course in converting my superannuation dollars into Yuan.
Ron Blair, Te Aro.
Chickenless
Some shops don’t give a KFC. On Kent Terrace I asked for six bits of chicken (not all for me). No, I didn’t want chips, thank you. A sign on the wall offered six bits of chicken with chips for $14.90. The woman returned with my chicken pieces and asked for $15, saying that was the price for 6 bits. This seemed strange, and I exclaimed. The woman said ‘but you didn’t ask for chips’. The manager was defensive, which seemed stupid. It’s all very minor but I walked out anyway, chickenless.
S Hutton, Mt Victoria.
Sea Lion in town
This morning as I walked past the Chaffers Marina New World supermarket I happened to see what looked like a sea lion on the park-side of the road. I had a closer look and sure enough it was a sea lion. Now I just notified the Wellington City Council who seemed to know nothing (no surprise there). The SPCA said that they could not get involved in cases involving native NZ wildlife and referred me to DoC. The lady I spoke to explained that DoC were made aware of the situation and that the ranger had put signs asking people to keep their dogs on a leash while the mammal was in the region. This really surprised me, as the sea lion was so close to traffic I would have imagined that it would pose some threat to vehicular traffic and of course to itself.
Ed Abdool, Wellington.
Re. Ten Taxis using 18 parking spaces.
I had correspondence about this published earlier but today (28 / 07) raised my hackles again. I was on The Terrace from 2.50pm until 3.25pm and taxis were taking up 10 of 18 available spaces, and once again the public had to try and find [alternate] parks. No money was paid into the machines until a lady warden started a walk past.
The two car cab ranks they have should be made into 10-minute Loading Zones from 0800 to 1800, and then there would be no need for the taxis to wait to get onto the rank and prevent the public from a city asset. I voted on your Taxi Poll and like many others hope something will happen soon.
Trevor Guilbert, Strathmore.
Bums on bikes
Why do bums on bikes not have to obey traffic lights like us real people?
This morning on the way to work one of them – without a crash hat I might add – snuck through our traffic jam, wobbled on his bike while he waited for a gap in the traffic and then rode right through the intersection against the red light which was holding up the rest of us .
I see it often, and they irritate me.
Jenny Mathes, Wainuiomata.
Encroachments
Good on the Council for considering increasing encroachment charges. (Capital Times, July 28). It’s time these parasites paid. One of your interviewees claims that carpad encroachments are a public service because they take cars off the road. They do that all right, but only at the cost of reducing the number of parking spots. Instead of a free roadside space anyone could use, carpad owners take that slot out of circulation. Forever. What’s more, they get a guaranteed spot, unlike Residents Parking Permit users who must pay $100+ a year then prowl the streets for a park.
Just pay up and stop whining!
B. Dino, Mt Victoria.
Courtenay Place art boxes
Driving down Courtenay Place I couldn’t help but notice the public art installations – those large rustic rectangles we residents paid for. This current display is appalling, and looks like a 15 year-old girl’s photography experiment. Are we to clap the mediocre efforts of local artists on our main street?
Imagine someone visiting our capital and seeing this display of our “best and brightest”. Abhor.
W. Lineman, Hataitai.
Not very Christian
I’d like to apologize for misnaming, in my July 28 letter headed Money Matters (printed without any signature [our mistake – Ed]), Wellington’s Downtown Ministry, which I absentmindedly called the Downtown Mission. However, both of those names, having a traditional association with Christians and Christianity, are scarcely appropriate for that particular charity, and for quite a lot other organizations and programmes which may have begun under Christian auspices, but ceased to be Christian many years ago, whether or not they still pretend to be. As the Downtown Ministry is now openly secular, it would be more honest to rename it accordingly. Yes, I know the word “ministry” is also used in secular contexts, but rarely for a secular private charity. I’m also uncomfortable that the YMCA/YWCA organization still continues to use initials that originally stood for “Christian Association” when they haven’t engaged in any Christian efforts for generations now. As for charities directly sponsored by Churches, obviously many of them might as well drop titles including “Christian” and “Mission”, since they do not make the least effort to teach and spread Christ’s Gospel. (As their clergy and volunteers are themselves usually not converted Christians, they mostly wouldn’t be able to!) For example, while the Anglican Wellington City Mission does indeed do a great deal of fine social work, it doesn’t even try to evangelise anyone while some of the City Missioners I can remember since 1960 seemed neither spiritual nor of practical use; and the job has had some incumbents whose main goal was seemingly to boost their own ego, renown, and social status!
H Westfold, Miramar.
Encroachment
Anyone own an apartment balcony? This could be more than just double dipping. Didn’t we just have another rates increase? One wonders what other ideas will be proposed after the election. Is this a council you are proud to have voted for (or allowed into power by not voting)?
Mark Greening, Wellington.
The big screen
I was thinking about our Golden Mile after reading a letter deriding the “big screen” on the Empire Theatre. When I went to look at the monstrosity my regard for our “cultural capital” plummeted. Juxtaposed to the screen are giant advertising billboards, which wreck the aesthetically pleasing nature of the building, and I agree the screen should go, or be put to better use.
In Sao Paulo, Brazil, outdoor advertising was banned because the people couldn’t afford the items on display. Although Wellington doesn’t suffer this socio-economic fate, we suffer from excessive commercialisation. The idea of banning outdoor advertising was mooted in Auckland not so long ago, but because the advertising industry wept so publicly it was dropped.
Can Wellington have the steel to say we are a city not beholden to capital? That we don’t want damn advertising dollars, and that we have a style!
R. Fredrick, Miramar
Death of Labour?
Listening to Chris Carter unskilfully try to evade direct questions during Maggie Barry’s interview on radio talkback, he has convinced me, a Labour supporter of 50 years, that the party is in such disarray, that not one of their lot could lead them to an election victory in the foreseeable future. A crying shame! Helen’s legacy has left the party so queer in their agenda that I doubt if the Dalai Lama could lead them to higher aspirations. Winston Peters, of Super Gold card fame, may give us hope, if he does decide to enter the fray; otherwise it’s National for the next decade, and a crash course in converting my superannuation dollars into Yuan.
Ron Blair, Te Aro.
Chickenless
Some shops don’t give a KFC. On Kent Terrace I asked for six bits of chicken (not all for me). No, I didn’t want chips, thank you. A sign on the wall offered six bits of chicken with chips for $14.90. The woman returned with my chicken pieces and asked for $15, saying that was the price for 6 bits. This seemed strange, and I exclaimed. The woman said ‘but you didn’t ask for chips’. The manager was defensive, which seemed stupid. It’s all very minor but I walked out anyway, chickenless.
S Hutton, Mt Victoria.
Sea Lion in town
This morning as I walked past the Chaffers Marina New World supermarket I happened to see what looked like a sea lion on the park-side of the road. I had a closer look and sure enough it was a sea lion. Now I just notified the Wellington City Council who seemed to know nothing (no surprise there). The SPCA said that they could not get involved in cases involving native NZ wildlife and referred me to DoC. The lady I spoke to explained that DoC were made aware of the situation and that the ranger had put signs asking people to keep their dogs on a leash while the mammal was in the region. This really surprised me, as the sea lion was so close to traffic I would have imagined that it would pose some threat to vehicular traffic and of course to itself.
Ed Abdool, Wellington.
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