Bring me my bow of tarnished brass; bring me my arrows of disdain… It was with incredulity I read some weeks ago in The Echo of the desire of tourism and commercial interests to lure yet more visitors here. A clear-eyed look at Byron Bay gives ample evidence that the town is flooded with people and vehicles. This seemingly never-ending traffic detracts from any quality of resort.
‘Vibrant’ seems to be the current buzz word. I knew it once as an adjective describing colours. It seems now to imply the apparent licencing of venues to blast amplified noise. The extension of operating hours is simply pandering to mercenary interest.
Traffic on both street and pavement is a real and present hazard. The announcement of a proposed extension to the track to the lighthouse is unlikely to improve safety for pedestrians while they and electric bikes, skateboards, scooters, etc are not separate. I have lost count of the near misses I have experienced.
One of the most afflicted tracks I know is the one that follows the Belongil drain towards Ewingsdale Road. I have walked here on and off for over 30 years. Once I regarded it as the closest to what I considered to be a park here. Sadly, that is no longer the case, electric bikes, mostly carelessly ridden, have made it stressful in the extreme.
This is partly related to the proliferation of people. The sheer numbers now who are choosing this mode of transport; and not practising it with due diligence.
As I once said in Nimbin in the early eighties, following the lyrics of John Lennon (dead these 45 years), ‘The dream is over.’
And so also here, I think.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
