I FIND it incomprehensible that the ACT government is going ahead with the SPIRE Project at the Canberra Hospital and Health Services at Woden. 

The numerous objections, discussions and complaints have been just brushed aside as being irrelevant. The Woden Community Council has objected long and hard about the inconvenience to the Garran residents as well as individual complaints especially from the people living on Palmer Street and families that have children at the Garran Primary School. 

In November a press release stated “the government was prepared to listen”. Unfortunately, they are either deaf or the constructive comments appear to be too difficult to comprehend.

This is a “Band-Aid” solution to an already overpopulated hospital site. It is apparent that minimal research has been undertaken by the local planning authority to consider the increase in traffic, the difficulty or paucity of public transport, especially as the main thoroughfare, Hospital Road, is to be blocked off and minimal improvements to parking facilities for additional staff and visitors. 

It is apparent to anyone examining this plan in depth that the hospital complex has outgrown the area now and in 10 years or less will be back on the agenda for increased facilities. The answer is more land, and this must come from across Yamba Drive namely the old Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) area, car park and the adjacent playing field. Garran has an adequate playing field on the other side of the primary school and sports track area off Kitchener Street next to the cemetery.

The old CIT buildings are due for demolition and the area should be considered for specialist treatment rooms or medical research/teaching facilities. 

The playing field is underutilised and should be used for the hospital expansion with an air-bridge over Yamba Drive that could have a landing platform for emergency helicopters. 

This would solve many of the problems that now impact on the residents of Garran, especially parking and the inconvenience of 24/7 helicopters landing and taking off. 

Paul Costigan, in “Canberra Matters” (CN, January 30), comments on our road system. He states: “This ACT government does not do planning – it just knows how to mess around and completely annoy residents and commuters. Is there anyone offering a sensible alternative?” 

Our real problem boils down to our chief minister who believes he has the monopoly on planning ideas, holds the purse strings and objects to suggestions with which he does not agree. 

Hopefully the elections this year will bring alternative ministers to breathe some fresh ideas into our fractured system.

Robert Courtney, Garran

We survived today – will we tomorrow?

RECENTLY, we narrowly avoided being run off the road (Ginninderra Drive) by an oncoming car that veered on to our side of the road – the driver on her mobile phone. 

Clearly, measures to date to stop this illegal activity are having no effect whatsoever. The current measures will only work if there are enough traffic police on the road to apply them, which it appears there are not. Perhaps in addition to an increased police presence on the roads, illegal mobile phone use in cars should be treated as seriously as illegal fishing. If caught illegally fishing you may lose your car/boat/trailer, fishing equipment and be issued a substantial fine, and the assets are not returned. 

Also, to my knowledge the chance of being killed from illegal fishing is pretty slim. If illegal fishing is so serious it attracts this level of penalty perhaps the same reasoning, in part, should be applied to drivers and their illegal activity with mobile phones – loss of car, licence and mobile phone for six months, along with a substantial fine. No ifs and/or buts!

We survived today – will we tomorrow?

Glenda Barton, Dunlop 

Hear! Hear! Come back, Jon

HEAR! hear! to Helen Wade’s suggestion that Jon Stanhope return to politics (Letters, CN, February 20). He is always fair in his analysis of the political scene and his humanitarian advocacy is to be applauded. 

Paul Costigan is another worthy columnist. If the current politicians were to take note of his criticisms, Canberra would not be plagued with the depressing, over-supplied high-rise apartments that are regularly appearing, blocking out the skyline and views and trees would be a priority. The Canberra Greens have been complicit in the Labor policies for Canberra “development”. They are an utter disappointment!

Mary Barker, Ainslie

Abused by female window washer

A FRIEND was recently abused by a female window washer on Northbourne Avenue.

She came over to the passenger’s side and went to place her brush on the windscreen. He waved her away, but she kept coming, so he waved her away even more.

She swore at him and pushed the side mirror in. He could hear her yelling and screaming as she walked off.

I understand that the ACT is the only part of Australia that allows windscreen washers to operate.

John Milne, Chapman 

Black day in history

ONE of Australia’s most iconic and proudest manufacturers names given the boot and 600 employees to be shown the door… mark Monday, February 17, 2020 down as one of the blackest days in Australia’s once proud and world-acknowledged manufacturing history.

RIP Holden and the Lion.

Michael Attwell, Dunlop