Bike paths the real problem.
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So why do you recommend punishing cyclists in Orange with helmet fines because they are not provided with bike paths?
Surely if cycling is dangerous then the answer is to build safe infrastructure like they have in the Netherlands, not set the police onto cyclists who are harming no-one.
A helmet does not protect against most injuries and the way to make cycling safe and appealing is to prevent crashes.
This is a shallow and victim blaming article and demonstrates no balance or understanding of cycling issues.
Kathy Francis
Solar highway
There have been a number of trials of solar highways started over the last few years in the US, Netherlands, France, Great Britain and now China.
In China, construction has begun of the country's first solar highway, in which solar panels are placed underneath transparent concrete.
As reported by Electrek, the solar highway is a 2 km (1.2 mile) stretch of road located on the Jinan City Expressway, and it's divided into three layers.
The beauty of this system is that the lower the use the higher the pay back in Solar energy generated which can be used to offset the capital cost in various ways.
An additional feature of doing this at Long Point would be the increased tourist potential from curious travellers, choosing this route rather than via alternate routes from north to south.
Conrad SIlvester
Truck safety paramount
It is astounding how out of touch some of our nation’s politicians are on the problem of increased deaths from truck crashes.
NSW Roads Minister Melinda Pavey has trumpeted technology where drivers “get an electric shock if they look away from the windscreen for more than two seconds”.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said he is baffled as why the deaths are increasing.
There are decades of research showing the link between pay and safety when it comes to heavy vehicle crashes.
Numerous coronial inquests have backed this up.
The evidence shows what happens when major retailers and manufacturers at the top of the supply chain cut their transport contracts.
We see trucks are not maintained and drivers are under pressure to speed and drive grueling hours to meet unrealistic deadlines.
The Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal was investigating this chain of events and holding the major companies to account over pay and risky practices in their supply chain.
Malcolm Turnbull tore the tribunal down and since then the pressure on transport operators and drivers has increased.
He and other ministers in his party now play dumb on the increased deaths but the record shows that they were warned about this.
If they weren’t prepared to accept the academic studies and coronial inquests, the Government’s own report carried out by PWC shows the tribunal’s Orders were cutting truck crashes by 28%.
For this reason, the Government has blood on its hands.