Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size When I came to Sydney from Europe in 1975, I knew little or nothing about Sydney except that it had a fabulous Opera House on the harbour.
I thought that there would be a metro. But I was wrong ( “How Sydney’s new system stacks up on a global scale” , August 20). I had to wait almost 50 years for a metro.
But we have it now so let’s celebrate! Eileen Kennedy, West Pymble Sydney Metro certainly does make you feel like a VIP (“ May Sydney’s future citizens never know pain of sitting in soul-crushing traffic”, August 20 ). But that feeling quickly dissipates when you step outside the stations. To access our local station, Waterloo, we must cross four sets of traffic lights, each with a waiting time of up to two minutes .
These can almost double the time needed to walk to or from the station. And no one likes waiting next to a noisy road inhaling fumes. Transport for NSW sets these excessively long waiting times to allow for more road traffic, but this means thousands fewer residents can access stations within an acceptable walking time.
Metro has put a massive dent in the state’s finances, so you’d think Transport Minister Jo Haylen would want to maximise its benefit by making station catchment areas as large as possible. Prioritising road traffic over people using public transport shows she still wants the latter to feel like second-class citizens, not VIPs. Chris Standen, Erskineville Commuters use Barangaroo Metro Station on its first day of operation.
Credit: Wolter Peeters I was tempted to describe the hype around the opening of what is nothing more than an extension of a Sydney underground rail track, roughly parallel to an existing rail line, as hyperbole but I would have been wrong. The dreamers making the over the top claims expect us to take their claims seriously ( “‘We can re-humanise the city’: the metro’s unrealised promise” , August 20). Everyone should mind the gap.
Ross Drynan, Lindfield After three days of unmitigated Metro hype, is this is really as good as it could have been? Paris will build 50 per cent more track at less cost in a more densely populated city. Their new lines link suburbs in a ring and their airports while we continue to dump people into the CBD. And did we capture the property value rise for the public purse? Oops, it seems not.
Michael Berg, Randwick The elephant in the room of the breathless glorification of the new metro line, is the loss of sovereignty that its so-called visionary Liberal proponent premiers built into its corporate ownership ( “M1 extension wins city’s heart, swells city’s soul” , August 20). Our generation has paid favoured foreign contractors top prices to build it, with largely imported expertise. Generations to come will be paying foreign corporations to run it.
The profits will go overseas to these owners. How is this visionary, and good for our workforce, our national debt, our control over ongoing costs? These huge transport projects sold to the multinationals, represent such losses of sovereignty and that is ignored by both Labor and Liberal, as they take donations from the corporations and bathe in the glory of the ceremonious openings. Barry Laing, Castle Cove In all our excitement about the opening of the M1 and the inevitable comparisons with other cities’ metro/subway systems it appears that two mighty systems have been overlooked, albeit in much larger cities.
Shanghai’s metro system is composed of 20 lines and over 500 hundred stations and Beijing’s system has 23 lines and almost 500 stations. Taking into consideration the size of Sydney, it would appear we still have much to achieve in terms of further metro lines before we truly have “joined” the global cities of the world. Ross Butler, Rodd Point Advertisement Hopefully, this will extend to improving the central coast train line.
It is so slow that travel to and from the city takes half a day. One could easily read all of War and Peace while travelling. Dorothy Gliksman, Cedar Brush Creek Further to your correspondent’s query on why we spent billions on trains where we already had them, the next stage will take the Metro to Bankstown, but only after shutting down the existing train to Bankstown for the next couple of years while they replace it ( Letters , August 20).
Given this project was a Coalition initiative, could the answer be in the word “driverless”? Phil Bradshaw, Naremburn Spaghetti-junction woes. Credit: John Shakespeare A note to town planners: Remember Rozelle interchange opening? Don’t forget Metro opening. I rest my case on behalf of public transport.
Jeremiah O’Sullivan, Haberfield Sweet relief It’s great to read that the new metro has functional, even outstanding toilets ( “Worried you’ll be caught short on the commute? Some shiny loos are better than others” , August 20). This must be to offset the apparent total lack of toilets in the recently revamped Wynyard Station shopping arcade. Our bladder stress only relieved by a friendly shop staffer who keyed us into the excellent staff toilets.
Dick Clarke, Elanora Heights Those who ride the new Metro should be grateful. St James Station hasn’t had working toilets for at least two years. Ray Hood, Illawong Advertisement Never mind the standard of loos.
How about travelators as standard for some of those very long concourses? Edward Loong, Milsons Point No mention of an accessible bathroom. Surely by now every new build/renovation should include a Changing Places accessible bathroom. Then my family could actually enjoy a trip to Sydney.
Hans Stroeve, Kelso I’m here for the pile on, we do not need to use the USA’s puritanical cleansing of public toilet facilities as “bathrooms”. Rarely are there whole of body washing facilities included. There, I feel better now.
Irene Wheatley, Bethania (Qld) Fine sendoff Black Caviar, what an obituary, and she’s a horse ( “Farewell to a champ: Moody remembers the great Black Caviar” , August 18). This ole mare’s been 13 weeks hospitalised, unlikely to die, but needs to pony up on all things humorous to ensure the 73-year-old nag gets to the “next stage” of recovery. From my lovely sunny window I have a view of the palliative care ward, and oftentimes find myself planning my funeral and writing my obit.
No doubt my ending won’t raise a sentence, but there are pages for a filly. Antoinette Riley, Marrickville I was distressed to read that Black Caviar gave birth to nine foals in 11 years ( “Black Caviar’s death wasn’t a sacrifice, says breeding chief” , August 20). It is no wonder she suffered from laminitis.
Constantly carrying the weight of nine pregnancies must take its toll. We are naive if we believe that successful racehorses earn a wonderful retirement. They are merely breeding machines for financial gain.
Carmel Vanny, Wahroonga I think the profit motive may have overtaken the animal welfare motive in the case of the 18-year-old horse. Peter Lamrock, Berowra Advertisement I am confused when it is reported that Black Caviar died a day before her 18th birthday. Surely she died 17 days after her birthday.
All race horses in the Southern Hemisphere are deemed to have been born on August 1. Peter Lowing, Port Moresby (PNG) Our children will pay for our climate sins The Insurance Council of Australia’s climate report presents an alarming picture of what life will be like for our children and grandchildren if we don’t take meaningful action to curb global warming (“ Success hot, failure hotter for NSW ,” August 20). Even in the best-case scenario, there will be more days of extreme heat and greater risk of bushfires.
In tropical areas, where 40 per cent of the world’s population resides, the situation will be worse, with parts of the year becoming unliveable. Millions will be forced to flee, spawning a refugee crisis that will be unparallelled. Do we really want to live in such a world? Ken Enderby, Concord Recent climate modelling shows high and low-emission scenarios extending decades into the future in NSW.
The high-emissions scenario is labelled pessimistic. I would call it realistic. Currently, we are permitted to burn as much fossil fuel as we like, for as long as we like, in almost any location and for any purpose; be it necessary, by choice or simply for fun (eg holiday flights, car racing, gas flares at football matches, just to name a few).
There is no urgent action to reduce burning fossil fuels. It’s just tinkering at the edges. The future results of this inaction are already locked in.
It shows little consideration for today’s children, who will be living through what I would call a very high-emissions scenario. Dennis O’Hara, Wanniassa (ACT) Debate lacking Many years ago, an acquaintance was elected to parliament for one of the major parties (“‘ Payman is correct’: Senators seek parliament staff overhaul ”, August 20). When elected, they asked what they were required to do.
The answer: “Put your hand up when we tell you.” Senator Lidia Thorpe is certainly on the money when she criticises Labor backbenchers for not being across government legislation, and no doubt many Coalition senators are in the same position. As for whether more staff are needed, or whether there should be a more genuine and open discussion of each piece of legislation, is perhaps a moot point.
Whatever the solution, the current system doesn’t allow proper consideration of the actions of the government of the day. Colin Hesse, Nowra Too many immortals Advertisement Pride of place in my study belongs to a framed photo of the first Immortals of rugby league, Reg Gasnier, Johnny Raper, Bobby Fulton and Clive Churchill – simply the best, no contest (“ The case for Coote – and Smith – to be named as Immortals ”, August 20). Now we are having name after name being submitted for consideration in this category.
The more a name is added, the inherent value of the award is lessened. South Sydney and Roosters legend Ron Coote (left) and Melbourne Storm champion Cameron Smith. Credit: Sydney Morning Herald Those mentioned passed, with flying club and representative colours, the inevitable pub test.
With every inclusion following the inductees mentioned, my interest has started to wane. But, hey, given the time lapsed from the start of the award to now, it’s the “apples versus oranges” argument. In other words, comparisons are often odious .
.. even down at my local.
Paul Hunt, Engadine USA divides Advertisement Your correspondent should remove the rose-coloured spectacles ( Letters , August 20). A glance through history shows that the USA has been instrumental in most of the wars and division in the world in recent years. The US has rarely used its power for good and cannot now even govern itself for the benefit of its citizens.
John Christie, Oatley ABC facelift Congratulations to the ABC for jazzing up the look of its news presentation (including a curious resurrection of the old news theme not used for several decades). What this move will do for maintaining trust in the accuracy of ABC news and current affairs I’m not sure. It’s early days, but I see no sign so far of a return to the high quality and reliability that I and my former ABC colleagues have been calling for to counteract Aunty’s slipping journalism standards.
I earnestly hope I turn out to be wrong, but so far what I see resembles little more than an attempt to put lipstick on a pig. Eric Hunter, Cook (ACT) Wow, at long last ABC News has been given a new set of colour highlighters. Artwork for business, weather and other segments have suddenly emerged from the black and white days, receiving a very colourful lift that helps make the information more digestible.
Malcolm Harper, St Ives I don’t like the revised theme for the ABC TV News. There is too much blue in it and the font of the text is too faint to comfortably read. Bring back the theme it replaced.
Graham Russell, Clovelly To the correspondent urging the ABC “be supported” , it bloody well already is supported, and very handsomely ( Letters , August 20). Rosemary O’Brien, Ashfield Wallaby of note In the midst of a current news cycle, international and domestic, where so many acts of decision-making seem to be characterised by self-interest, it was insightful to read Anthony Abrahams’ obituary of James Roxburgh (“ Anti-apartheid Wallaby had passion for Shakespeare ”, August 20). A “beautiful human being” whose principles and character will stand the test of time.
Rod Leonarder, Roseville Hooray for Raygun I am of a generation that struggles to derive the least enjoyment from breakdancing, rap music or partly shaved craniums, so it is with more than a modicum of surprise that I find myself a fan of Raygun ( Letters , August 20). Her moves that I can emulate are being added to my one dance move – the much-loved but poorly understood “palm frond” will now be accompanied by the kangaroo and the sprinkler. And I suggest that the judges are the losers with their zero scores.
Who remembers any other competitor now? It’s Raygun, Raygun, Raygun all the way! Dick Clarke, Elanora Heights Special stars One of the winners at the Logies was the free-to-air flying doctor drama RFDS, whose crew gave a nice shout-out to frontline workers in the acceptance speech (“ Streaming swallows Logies as times change ”, August 18). Not as well known as the Logies, but some of those workers have been announced as finalists in this year’s NSW Health Excellence in Nursing and Midwifery Awards. Lisa Clarke, Watsons Bay Way with words Occasionally, a turn of phrase in a Herald essay will shine out like a sparkler on a birthday cake.
Thank you, Kathy Lette, for a positive forest of sparklers (“ My grandma could tell the Poms a thing or two ”, August 19). Australians not following in “our forefathers’ fingerprints”, London dinner parties the “Wimbledon of wit” where every guest can “triple an entendre” – ah the joys. You left this reader dazzled.
Margaret Clark, South Riverview To submit a letter to the Sydney Morning Herald , email [email protected].
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