Re ‘Byron light rail gets Council nod’, Echonetdaily, Tuesday December 17: please think back to 2004 when we had only two train movements per day.
If you have forgotten, then try to envisage the huge traffic queues that occurred at the rail crossing near Warren Simmons’s service station. I can remember it clearly, waiting, waiting, backlogs of traffic. Now multiply these blockages to say every 30 minutes during holiday times, weekends, farmer-market days.
Also think about this noisy and smelly diesel locomotive travelling at night up to, say, 3am delivering our late-night revellers behind the First Sun Caravan Park, residential homes in Shirley St, Cavvanbah St, Kendall St and Belongil Crescent. Do you really want this noise in your backyard?
Backing onto a train line devalues your property and inhibits what building can occur on your property. A much better option would be a 22-seat mini-bus that can drop off tourists or locals much closer to their intended locations, ie Woolworths and Lighthouse.
Buses are much quieter, easier to service and can be used for more options instead of being permanently attached to steel track. Think wisely before saying that yes, this motorrail system is a good idea.
Geoff Bensley, Byron Bay
Have the local bus companies Blanches and Brunswick Valley Coaches been consulted on this.So a duplication of an already under utilised transport system,now this is not good for our environment or the economical viability to run two services .The locomotives are powered by Twin 300 horsepower 6 cylinder diesel engines that are 40 years old,are they efficient and are they clean running and what noise levels can we expect as they pass thru our neighbourhoods at midnight?