I am writing due to a moment today, not of road rage but of footpath rage. I am an aged pensioner with mobility issues and I recently invested in a walker so that I could take a walk every day to try and maintain (and hopefully improve) my mobility.
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To this end, I take an uphill walk from my unit to the corner of Morton and Tress streets.
Earlier in the week, I discovered on my walk one of those orange scooters neatly parked right in the centre of the footpath. I had to move it to the side of the footpath to get past it. Before I actually got it onto the grass, it started telling me to start riding it.
Because I was able to get past, I left it there and kept going.
Today there were three scooters parked neatly across the entire footpath making it impossible for anyone - with or without a walker or a pram, a dog on a lead or anything else - to walk past there.
I wanted to pick them up and throw them onto the road - my moment of footpath rage.
I have also seen young children riding these scooters on the roads.
Nothing between them and a car but a helmet. If such a young child were to be hit by a car and injured or killed, I cannot imagine the outcomes for the driver.
I understand this is a test scheme with the council, the state government and a private company.
Unless and until these and all the other problems can be sorted properly, it needs to remain just a test and one that could end sooner rather than later.
Money should not be the driving force for everything we do or agree to do.
Laurene Dietrich, Ballarat.
The new athletes' village is going to be built on the old saleyards.
What a positive move that is - it's nothing but an eyesore at the moment, and hopefully won't take as long as the traffic lights have.
Our mayor has suggested turning the athletes' village into social housing and, yes, we need more social housing, however I think it would be ideal for a new and better mental health facility.
The building could be divided into four different areas for female youth and adults, plus male youth and adults, as well as having respite beds.
The idea would be for this to be a place where people with suicidal thoughts can be treated and not turned away, a place where people with mental health issues can feel more confident about their treatment, a place that is going to hopefully reduce the suicide rate in Ballarat, and not have the shocking statistics of having the highest suicide rate in Victoria.
This is why I think new mental health facilities are more important than social housing.
David Braybrook, Winter Valley.
Let's optimise one of our most under-funded tourist attractions - Wendouree Parade.
Here's my plan - let's make Wendouree Parade a one-way road.
We could then reinstate the tram line the whole way around the lake (for people to hop on and off - especially for those not able to walk or cycle the lake).
Making the road one-way only would free-up plenty of room for the tram to run, plenty of room for cars and cyclists making it safer for all and also make it safer for the wildlife to cross.
Elizabeth French, Redan.
