With the success of the children-attracting features, especially the Hairy Mclary statues on Tauranga Waterfront, the decision to give these youngsters - including toddlers -step access to such a dangerous stretch of water is negligent.

A safety feature is a notice board informing the tidal flows in this very fast piece of water. A one-year-old toddler will not fully understand the danger of water let alone the tidal flow that exists in a king tide. My guesstimate is once the child is in the water there will be a five-second rescue time in a strong turbulent current. After that it will be too late. I hope those responsible for this plan have good public liability insurance as I'm sure they will be sued in the first instance.

W Sedcole, Maungatapu.