Letter: Flats scheme is no laughing or crying matter

SIR – After reading your article in A&T (21/04) about the proposed car free flats in Christchurch, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I did neither but I did hold my hands up in exasperation.

I now know that the world has gone completely mad and that we are controlled by authorities that frankly have lost the plot big time! Twenty cycle racks, two parking spaces for visitors (that's a good one) and lots of lovely double yellow lines to prevent anyone parking nearby.

Oh, but of course, those that do not have a car will bite the developer’s hand off to get such a place. Really? Let's pretend that people get old or have an accident and develop mobility problems - of course, silly me, you crawl to a bus stop in the rain to get to wherever, or maybe call a taxi or possibly get a neighbour to cycle you to wherever you want to go.

You can always sit on the crossbar in the snow.

Cut yourself in the kitchen and you are bleeding? Oh, what am I thinking? Of course you call for an ambulance, get in a queue and wait four hours because you are not a priority. Go to the bus stop and wait for the appropriate one to come along that can take you close to a medical facility.

The list is expansive. Now is not the time to be anti-car. Think of all those people who in their ignorance have bought an EV to save the planet. Where are they going to charge their cars? The repercussions of having such abodes at this time far outweigh the advantages.

We are heading for one big OOOPS!, but what do these people care? I bet that not one of them in this authority will be signing up to get into one of these flats. I wonder why?

John Walsh,
Address supplied