Letters to the editor, The Daily Advertiser, January 28

You may recall the ARTC aims to raise the top of the Edmondson Street bridge by two metres.

One will probably never get the true story of why the eastern walkway on the bridge suddenly collapsed. Was it old age, or was it investigative prodding by the ARTC engineers? Whatever!

However, by this unexpected obstruction we motorists now have some visuals to estimate the impact about the ARTC's intentions. The present orange bollards are waist high - about one metre tall! If we could imagine a further set of bollards laid on top we then gain some idea of the mini-mountain that awaits we drivers and pedestrians.

If plans are not changed then departure angles for both north and south road traffic will be markedly different.

Visibility for northbound road traffic is already restricted as we approach the Sturt Highway intersection.

Any increased steepness coupled with less stopping distance just adds to the risk of accidents waiting to happen.

READ MORE LETTERS:

I read an interesting quote from the federal Member for Gippsland Darren Chester who said: "The further you are away from the natural environment, the more likely you are to vote Green."

This is not only a truism, but also highlights a huge problem in Australian politics, our environment and, as a consequence, environmental politics.

Because unfortunately we are getting decisions being made based on the views of those who do not understand the environments they claim they want to protect, fuelled by like-minded city-based politicians with a focus on votes rather than positive outcomes.

Never has this been more evident than throughout implementation of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

The plan was built on a political need to shore up these city-based environmental votes, while also protecting important seats in South Australia. Communities in blue ribbon eastern seats were considered expendable.

Now we have a plan with poorly modelled volumes that were legislated in 2012 and because of the Green's balance of power cannot be changed, even despite unequivocal evidence (highlighted during recent flood events) that delivering such volumes from upper Murray storages to the South Australian lower lakes is impossible without man-made flooding that will cause damage to public and private infrastructure.

This is environmental madness, all to achieve political gain. But it will have no impact on the majority of Green supporters and city environmental ideologists because, as Chester says, they are the furthest away from this natural environment.

They don't live it, they don't understand it and, if truth be known, while they claim to care, in reality the cost of their latte is probably a higher priority.

Do we get frustrated at the nonsensical decisions that adversely impact our communities and the natural environments in which we actually live? You bet we do.

HAVE YOUR SAY: Do you have something to get off your chest? Simply click here to send a letter to the editor.