‘Please share’: Stop hating and enjoy the benefits of cycling

Sydney will probably never be like Amsterdam or Copenhagen where bikes can outnumber vehicles on their city’s roads (“Hate cyclists? Drivers deserve it more”, February 15). However, if we stop hating cyclists, it will encourage more to ride bicycles and maybe even to commute to work. Each bike means one less car on the road. Less congestion, less pollution and plenty of mental and physical health benefits. Sounds like a no-brainer really. John Anderson, MacMasters Beach

Non-cyclists have no particular set against cyclists but they do recognise the impracticable aspects of attempting to accommodate motorists and cyclists on the same roads designed with only one mode of transport in mind.

Further, government and councils have blazed ahead creating dedicated cycle lanes that create safety risks for cyclists, pedestrians and motorists. Cyclists are “doored” because roads are too narrow for both cars and cycles, and cycle lanes are positioned adjacent to car parking spaces.

Most non-cyclists have no ill will towards cyclists, but there is a degree of community frustration and discontent due to the imposition of cycleways and cycle paths that are clearly unworkable and that lead to inconvenience and a lack of amenity for all road users and nearby residents. Ross Butler, Rodd Point

There are many benefits to cycling.Credit: Matt Golding

No, drivers do not deserve more hate. I am both a driver and a cyclist, and when driving I look out for and seek to respect cyclists and give them space. Of course, we then get the cyclist who causes a great hold up and when the cars eventually find space to pass, the same cyclist passes the same cars on the left when they are stopped at traffic lights and then holds them all up again. But what really frightens me is the arrogant sense of entitlement of so many cyclists on pedestrian spaces. I have been abused, or the standard tactic, brushed past, many times on those paths by cyclists whose speed is totally inappropriate. Michael McMullan, Avoca Beach

Your article raises many valid points, but also inflames existing tensions between the driver, pedestrian and cyclist tribes. Each tribe has poorly behaved members attracting opprobrium from other tribes. Each tribe has an equal claim for the use of a common resource. I happen to belong to all three tribes, and whichever conveyance I’m using, I try to do so in a manner that doesn’t upset the other two tribes. In a perfect world separate paths would exist for all tribes, but until this happens can we all please learn to share? Chik Foo, Burwood

The naysayers to any kind of progress are invariably the loudest in the room. Are there really that many people who don’t see the health and environmental benefits of cycling and cycle lanes? Most other civilised countries embraced this years ago. Or is it just a small cohort of megaphone shock jock provocateurs? Why is it still an issue here and must everything that improves lives be a battle? The reactionary lobby and its compliant media enablers hold the floor far too often. It’s time reasonable people took a stand. Alison Stewart, Riverview

Maybe cyclists would enjoy a more harmonious relationship with drivers if they desisted from riding double file at half the speed limit for seemingly no other purpose than to facilitate chat about where to get their post-ride latte. Col Burns, Lugarno

Asbestos failure a wide threat to public health

The greater asbestos concern is the failure of developers to remove the asbestos prior to the demolition of old dwellings, followed by the transporting, mulching of building materials containing asbestos and the distribution of the mulch (“Hundreds of sites may be tainted”, February 16). This has placed the health of nearby residents, workers on demolition sites, the travelling public, workers involved in mulching, delivery drivers and landscapers at risk from the contaminated dust from this process. Private certifiers and the government failed to detect such illegal practices and they failed to protect workers and the public. Why? Brian McDonald, Willoughby

A few years back, my daughter and her husband had their front lawn re-done after building works had left it damaged. Subsequently, a large load of topsoil turned out to be contaminated, and that was detected only because the newly laid grass refused to grow. It took a couple of very frustrating years to be rectified as the landscaper and the soil supply company went into dispute over liability. From the sideline, it looked to me like a fairly simple puzzle to solve, but no, these things just don’t seem to run that way. Let’s see how the current Sydney mulch mystery plays out in full public gaze. Brian Jones, Leura

Perhaps if your correspondent had had a loved one suffer from the insidious illness mesothelioma, or other asbestos-related illness, he would understand the gravity of having any asbestos present in the community and why it should be handled with such care (Letters, February 16). If non-friable asbestos product is damaged, sawn, drilled, sanded, crushed or extensively weathered, then these products may release fibres and become friable asbestos. The Bernie Banton Foundation further states non-friable asbestos can become equally as dangerous as friable asbestos and a distinction should never be made. Merilyn McClung, Forestville

The asbestos-ridden mulch saga and dodgy new apartment developments appear to have a common factor; the lack of strict and independent oversight checking that things are done correctly and according to regulations. Bernadette Scadden, Earlwood

The Emerald City is fast losing its sparkle and is in danger of becoming The Asbestos City. Alicia Dawson, Balmain

Phonetics nothing but a drill

Phonetics doesn’t attempt to explain anything (Letters, February 16). It simply drills students in the sounds made by the combination of letters. In English, we write “through”, “bought”. Why not “threw”, “bort”? It is a waste of time explaining why. The aim is to develop the skill to verbalise the words represented by combinations of characters in the text the person is reading. That is phonetics. Barry Willis, Beecroft

The letters “ough” form part of the “extended code” and are the most complex of the English phonemes. It is not formally introduced until year 2. It has six sounds: Oh, oooh, uffff, off, awe and ouch. This sentence helps master this tricky set: “Even though I run through a rough trough, my thoughts are on the drought.” Gabrielle Oslington, Gordon

A hard read.Credit: Cathy Wilcox

One lesson in phonetics that stuck with me is how “ghoti” can be pronounced “fish”. You simply take the “gh” from the word rough, the “o” from women, and the “ti” from nation. Andrew Brown, Bowling Alley Point

The phonics debate drags on. Meanwhile, a rough cough and a hiccough still plough me through. Megan Brock, Summer Hill

Maybe we should all just speak Italian. The pronunciation is strictly phonetic. Then we could just give the kids a book, any book and ... arrivederci! David Ramsay, Bexley

Silence on Assange’s fate shames nation

Having courageously revealed war crimes committed by US troops in Iraq, Julian Assange’s reward for embarrassing the US has been attempts, which may yet succeed, to have him extradited to the US so he can be charged under the US Espionage Act, under which he could serve 175 years in jail (“How the House swung to Assange”, February 16). He has been in various types of detention for 13 years and his physical and mental health are deteriorating. It is encouraging that at last a majority of the Australian parliament has spoken out on Assange’s behalf and asked that he be sent back to Australia. But there are only a few days until his case will be heard by Britain’s High Court, after which he could be immediately sent to the US. For Australians to have tacitly accepted the cruel processes Assange has been subjected to speaks poorly of our compassion. Penny Rosier, North Epping

The House of Representatives voted by 86 to 42 in favour of bringing Julian Assange home. There was overwhelming support for Andrew Wilkie’s motion from Labor, the Greens and independent MPs, but only Bridget Archer and Russell Broadbent from the Liberals were on board. Peter Dutton and the rest of the Coalition failed us again. Getting them to say, “Yes” to anything is like pulling teeth. Graham Lum, North Rocks

Attacks hurt us all

To all those who kid themselves that antisemitism is somehow a legitimate protest against Benjamin Netanyahu’s obduracy, please think again. And it doesn’t only hurt Jewish Australians, appalling as that is. (“Australia 2024 is nothing like Germany 1933. And yet ...”, February 6). It acts as a fuel and as an implied licence for all those who harbour resentment against anyone – be they fellow citizens, recent arrivals or minority groups. Prejudice and hatred, anti-Islamic sentiment, even bullying, are normalised when antisemitism becomes prevalent. It fundamentally threatens the fabric of our society. Margaret Johnston, Paddington

Howard’s legacy

Yet another mass shooting in America (“Deadly shooting erupts at Super Bowl parade,” February 16). I expect that the only response will be to send the usual thoughts and prayers. I didn’t agree with ex PM John Howard on many things, but I am forever grateful to him for standing up to the gun lobby and taking concrete action to control guns in Australia. Paul Doyle, Glenbrook

Education wars

Now it’s time to repair the damage done to generations of Australian children by the educational theory “paradigm wars” that have raged since the late 1950s (“Education led astray by fads, says report”, February 16). Behaviourists and cognitivists battled through the 60s and 70s, with the evidence-based cognitive approaches mostly winning. Then, through the 80s, the humanists with their self-directed, student-centred discovery, whole language and group-work methods began their guerilla war. They shunned quantitative empirical research methods and relied on emotional tactics, and they won. The collateral damage of the wars (to children) was immense. Peter Russell, Coogee

Build more schools

Speaking as a 35-year resident of Canada Bay and as an elected councillor, the reason people are leaving the public school system is that the only public high school (Concord High School) in our LGA is 45 per cent over capacity (Letters, February 16). This is despite their being another 22,000 residents expected in the LGA in the next 10 years. Residents have been making this point for many years without a government response. The NSW government is not building enough public high schools, nor is it maintaining existing ones properly. Of course, students and parents will vote with their feet. Meanwhile, the government relies on federal money for private schools to reduce its education expenditure. Charles Jago, Concord West

What’s the best way to solve a problem? Not to cause it in the first place. The underfunding of public schools is just such a problem, the consequences of which have been well-demonstrated in the US. There, schools are funded locally, so the counties with the lowest income households (which raise the least tax revenue) spend the least on education. The result is a society where the chronically poor are also the least educated, and the problems of social disadvantage have become the problems of the middle and upper classes. Is this really what we want for our society? Nobody can escape the consequences of an inequitable education system. Tom Orren, Wamberal Heights

Hope for MND

Congratulations to the scientists for the great work they have done in developing a possible treatment for motor neurone disease (“‘Vacuum’ drug has MND potential”, February16). Given the predicted short lifespan, and the terrible symptoms, surely there is nothing to lose in making this simple treatment available for existing sufferers immediately. David Hope, Davidson

Plane wrong

The cost of a 24/7 western Sydney airport to the health system would be enormous, not to mention the environment (Letters, February 16). The PM, who once argued in favour of lowering aircraft movements due to a noise problem at Sydney airport, no longer seems to be exercising that same duty of care to the constituents of western Sydney and the Blue Mountains. When interviewed about complaints of proposed devastating flight paths across western Sydney and the Blue Mountains, he brushed it off with a casual “Blue Mountains residents are affected by the Kingsford Smith Airport of course”, as if hundreds of additional lower-level flights 24/7 would hardly matter, then suggesting all would somehow be well with runway configurations that would “minimise disruptions”. That is not a vote-winning statement for the people of the west. My wife and I are now in fear of having to move from our beautiful home in the serene Blue Mountains. Julius Timmerman, Lawson

Novel nuptials

Anthony Albanese has just guaranteed his status as a first in future trivia quizzes (“PM appears for question time - and the ‘aye’ has it”, February 16). First PM to get engaged while in office and possibly first PM to marry while in office. Donna Wiemann, Balmain

The happy moment.Credit: John Shakespeare

Gravity wins

The trouble is inertia comes naturally, whereas exercising requires effort. That’s why inertia is alive and well despite the lack of articles promoting it (“Lack of exercise a growing threat”, February 16). Mustafa Erem, Terrigal

Merge urgency

I hope the Traffic for NSW executives are looking at reducing the merge priority given to WestConnex traffic (“Inside the room where controllers try to fix Rozelle chaos”, February 16). Currently, all traffic on Victoria Road must merge into half a lane on Anzac Bridge. Tinkering with traffic lights along Victoria Road won’t change that inequity. Brian Watters, Mosman

Victoria Road was already a major thoroughfare before the Rozelle interchange was built.
To bring additional traffic to the area from the heavily used M5 via the M8 at Kingsgrove to Rozelle, and then to add in the heavy traffic from the M4 from all points west also to Rozelle certainly makes one wonder what the planners were thinking. Stewart Copper, Maroubra

Postscript

Former deputy PM Barnaby Joyce made headlines this week when he was filmed lying on a footpath late at night, intoxicated and swearing on his mobile. Most correspondents agreed the Nationals MP failed to meet the standards expected of a parliamentarian. “Unless within the privacy of their own homes our politicians are always on public show. It goes with the job,” wrote David Salter of Hunters Hill.

There was a mixed response to Jenna Price’s op-ed describing her feelings of sympathy for the “perennially entertaining” Joyce. Peter Campbell of Potts Point, who has “diametrically opposed views to Joyce about the environment, politics, religion, marriage equality, and probably a lot more”, agreed with Price. “I feel sorry for him. His private life has been the subject of ridicule, especially within his own conservative ranks, and I believe he is being kicked while he is literally down. I hope he gets over this current personal crisis soon so that I can once again be appalled by him. But right now, he’s one of us and entitled to some sympathy,” he wrote.

But it was the subject of private versus public education which fired up letters writers. Following our story that more Sydney parents than ever were opting for private education, Augusta Monro of Dural described our schools as “hurtling towards a two-tier system”, rather than governments “funding one well resourced public system with quality resources and support for all students”. Others wondered “why the average punter was raiding the piggy bank to send to kids to private schools” at a time when the cost of living is so high.

And grazie mille to David Ramsay of Bexley for his suggestion that we should all speak Italian. Much simpler than unruly and quirky English. Thanks for writing and buona settimana. Pat Stringa, letters editor

• To submit a letter to the Sydney Morning Herald, email [e-mail]. Click here for tips on how to submit letters.
• The Opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform. Sign up here.