OVERTOYOU

Pets on buses Colin Duncan Nelson, November 19 Rosalina McCarthy Nelson, November 20

Congratulations! We might be able to take our ‘‘small pets’’ on the NBus soon, so saving the planet and ourselves from unnecessary burning of fuel and adding to the congested streets, plus utilising the often empty NBus during off-peak times.

However, has Nelson City councillor Brian McGurk considered what we might have to do with the ‘‘appropriate animal containers’’ ( Nelson Mail, November xx) while we frequent the Back Beach or use the trails, rather than carting them around with us and still managing to control our dog? Maybe these could be chained to the bike rack on the bus for the return journey, or left piled up and chained at the bus depot? Or maybe we really don’t have to have the containers, just control the pet? The UK generally allows pets on buses, on the floor and on a lead, so think outside the square, you guys!

A Covid Christmas?

It has been said that a picture can say a thousand words. Your paper really achieved this when you published the map of New Zealand showing the current active Covid19 infections and rates by district health boards (November 20). Up until now, listening to news reports and reading general articles, most of us in the South Island are not aware of how bad it is in the North. However, here was the detailed reality thanks to the graphic map image.

In studying it, my thoughts turned to the mainly Aucklanders who, thanks to the ‘‘kindness’’ of the prime minister, will soon leave their highly infected areas and travel with greater freedom to perhaps spread the Covid pandemic south for Christmas. Good (Covid) will towards all men? Perhaps. But that is not really the sort of Christmas cheer we need here.

Disappointing vote

Every now and then a vote comes along that reveals profound differences in our elected representatives’ visions for the future of Nelson-Whakatū and Aotearoa-New Zealand. One of them took place this week when the Nelson City Council voted on whether to support the campaign by the Aotearoa Collective for Public Transport Equity calling for the Government to fund free public transport for tertiary students, Community Services Card holders, and under-25s.

The idea is that getting more people on to public transport would be good for the planet, increasing people’s connectivity would be good for their wellbeing, and getting more cars off the road would be good for our towns and cities.

Lending the council’s support to the campaign would have cost us nothing, and yet Councillor Rohan O’Neill-Stevens’ motion was lost when the vote tied.

Crs Mel Courtney, Rachel Sanson, Kate Fulton, O’Neill-Stevens and I voted to support the campaign. Crs Brian McGurk, Yvonne Bowater, Tim Skinner, Trudi Brand and Mayor Rachel Reese voted against.

It was a telling result from a council that declared a Climate Emergency and regularly talks about poverty and the importance of mode shift. On the same day, the Dunedin City, Horizons Regional and Palmerston North City councils all voted to support the campaign. Matt Lawrey Nelson City Councillor Nelson, November 25

Free Fares

I’m a member of the Free Fares campaign team in Nelson, and I was deeply disappointed to see the Nelson City Council vote against joining the Free Fares campaign this week.

The Free Fares campaign aims to advocate to central Government to get free public transport for students, Community Services Card holders, and under-25s nationwide. Evidence has shown that this would help to reduce emissions, address transport poverty, ease congestion, and allow people to connect with their communities. In my view, this campaign is in line with the Nelson City Council’s climate emergency declaration and the mode shift priority it identified at the beginning of its term, so to see the council reject this opportunity was disappointing, and seems to contradict the promises it made to the people of Nelson. What makes this even more disappointing is that Wellington, Palmerston North, Porirua, Dunedin, Kapiti and Horizons councils all chose to support Free Fares.

I would like to thank all the councillors who voted in favour of supporting Free Fares. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Mika Hervel Nelson, November 25