My Account
More Hill St blues
I write in response to your article regarding Auckland Transport’s proposed new Matakana link road route (MM September 20). AT says that out of 221 submissions on this new link road, 35 per cent were in favour of Option D and that 28 per cent favoured option A. The other options didn’t get a mention. All these options run almost parallel to one another, with all options exiting onto SH1 about 250m north of the showgrounds entrance and about 250m south of the new Auckland motorway on/off ramps – near the old weigh station building. I attended the AT public presentations at the Mahurangi Rugby Club earlier this year. I spoke with three people and asked them this question: “Why has AT not considered having this link road come out further north so it comes on to SH1 directly opposite the new on/off ramps to the Auckland motorway?” All three answered that about 90 per cent of all who attended throughout the day had asked the same question. Nearly all these people thought the AT options were completely wrong. I also wrote on my submission that this proposed road coming out near the showgrounds would become the “new Hill St” within three to four years of it opening, due to the fact that all vehicles travelling to and from Matakana, Leigh, Omaha and Warkworth would have to stop at this new intersection before going through to the proposed roundabouts to get on to the new motorway. A direct connection would eliminate this intersection. How come AT has taken no notice? If they did, they would find that they would have a bigger percentage of support. Surely the direct link between the motorway and this proposed link road is by far the best option – unfortunately we were not asked. One has to ask Auckland: Is anyone down there listening to what the people of this area actually want? Obviously Big City knows better, or so they think.
Maurice Purdy, Kaipara Flats
Info on roads
Regarding your front-page article Money down the potholes (MM September 20). I would like to inform the residents of Rodney that there is a set maintenance schedule for all the unsealed roads in the Rodney district. The company who holds the road maintenance contract is contracted and paid to grade and maintain all unsealed roads to that contracted schedule. Under the Official Information Act, any resident of Rodney district can obtain the maintenance schedule for their road. This schedule will then show the residents how many times a year their road is contracted by Auckland Council to be graded and maintained.
The easy way to obtain the road maintenance schedule is to email officialinformation@at.govt.nz. Use wording similar to “Under the Official Information Act please supply the road maintenance schedule for …” and type the name of the road you live in. You can also request maintenance work on your road by going on the Council website. It is a good idea to keep a written record of all correspondence, requests for maintenance, and actual maintenance on your road. I personally have been keeping a written record since 2007 for the road in which I live.
Margaret Skilton, Warkworth (Abridged)
Hostel campaign
Campaigners are desperately trying to rally support to prevent the closure of the iconic Opoutere Youth Hostel near Whangamata and YHA members living in the Mahurangi Matters circulation area could be the ones who may make the difference. The Youth Hostel Association of NZ national board has made a unilateral decision to close the much loved hostel next Easter in defiance of a notice of motion to be considered at the organisation’s annual meeting in Wellington on October 28. Anybody with an interest in saving Opoutere should register their support on Facebook at Save Opoutere YHA Hostel.
David Wildish, spokesperson Save Opoutere Youth Hostel Campaign (Abridged)
