Bushland at risk
I have attended all three of the Eastern Escarpment Conservation Area Trails Workshops held by Redland City Council staff, where the primary focus was the building of two mountain bike trails in old growth forest areas of Mount Cotton.
It is surprising that during discussion on the proposal at council meetings no mention was made of the proposed trails. Details have been on the RCC website.
In the Summer 2017 issue of the Redlands magazine there is an article on the Bayview Conservation Area concerning the upgrading to "world standard" of the tracks and improvement of facilities for walkers, runners and mountain bike riders.
There are 53 kilometres of tracks and trails in the Bayview Conservation Area. The Mount Cotton area, being significantly smaller, has about 20 kilometres of track, which is already well used by people who enjoy the quiet bush experience and the challenge of steep grades.
Mountain bike riding is primarily a downhill, relatively high speed sport, and these steep slopes suit their purpose.
To the mountain bike riders' credit they have built a track but they now propose to build two new tracks through old growth forest, riparian and rainforest, crossing the head waters of Tingalpa Creek.
This process would cause massive environmental destruction along the creek.
This is in extreme conflict with the statement in the latest Redlands magazine, "Protecting what's naturally wonderful".
"The RCC has joined the Resilient Rivers Initiative which has a long term strategy to improve and protect the lower Redlands & lower Brisbane coastal catchment."
It would be impossible to carry out this work without causing long term damage that would be ongoing because mountain bike riding is very much a spectator sport, and the trampling feet of spectators would eventually destroy this fragile area.
- D. Baxter, Alexandra Hills
Bayside city
I am a newcomer, having lived here only 29 years and do not and have never belonged to any political party.
The reason for my letter is to express my objection to the push for the renaming of Redland city to Redland Coast.
A coast, in my opinion is a stretch of beach, as in the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast. Whereas we in the Redlands only have a shore line and to call our shore line a coast is misleading.
Our beaches from Thorneside to Redland Bay are mostly more a sand/mud mix than sand.
I know that the argument for the coast name is our length of shoreline, but that is all it is, shoreline not coast line. There was a suggestion (RCB, April 7) for a consideration of the name, Redland Bayside, because of the large islands. That is what we are, a bayside city. However I ask, why waste ratepayers money on plugging for a fancy name change, that is misleading, why not just leave it as Redland city?
- B. Parker, Capalaba
For the working class
The long term use of the large parcel of Commonwealth land at Old Cleveland Road East, Birkdale is a one-off opportunity for all the powers - left, right and centre.
The land could be used to build a university/teaching hospital and a sports/science speciality area.
This would bring a much needed university to the eastside. Every politician and councillor are throwing up their hands and saying the community will decide.
MP Andrew Laming is far too busy counting his retirement fund and MP Don Brown says it's not in his power to control land use. All the other nobodies are squarking about a zoo. The Alma Park Zoo failed and would fail again. Environmentalists would see to that. Look at the debacle at Toondah Harbour.
I do not believe any politician has the brains to think long term. What I believe these turkeys will do is fill their pockets and retire as quickly as they can. In the end developers will grab a bargain.
The future of the Redlands is for retirement and will only grow by at least another 20,000 residents in the next five years.
So why not a university/teaching hospital for this side of town? Is it the fact that this side of town is working class and not the elite?
- M. Victorsen, Redlands
Extreme bias
Once again I find it necessary to take you to task on your extreme bias towards the Labor government and negative comments against the LNP.
On March 20 there was an article in which we have RCB favourite Kim Richards coming out with the usual complaint about LNP MP Andrew Laming, saying that he failed to have federal funds to improve roads which are the responsibility of the state government.
It has been everywhere in the media that MPs Don Brown and Kim Richards were caught in a union picket and were reprimanded by the premier. That was not reported as it shows Labor up in a bad light.
It has been reported everywhere but the RCB about the hospital crises and Redland Hospital has major problems. Do we hear about this in the RCB? No.
Voters for the major parties are generally split 50-50. Consequently as RCB has definitely moved to the left, you have possibly lost all these LNP voters.
- P. Hammond, Ormiston
Lack of logic
The logic of some people.
It never ceases to amaze me that people pitch a flimsy tent on the ground among wild dingoes on Fraser Island and wonder why they get bitten. I suppose the same people would not think twice of taking their kids to camp in a lion's cage in a zoo.
BCFing mad.
- L. Sorrell, Cleveland
