The letters to and fro on the SH2 issue have really gone on long enough. The simple facts are that the previous government scheduled for the highway to be upgraded (at great expense), and the present government has parked the idea for now. Nothing we can say is going to change that, at least in the short term, so whinging about it is a total waste of time.

However, the present government has scheduled safety upgrades through to Katikati, much as I have previously suggested. They are quick and economic measures that can be completed with minimum delay and are now being actively considered by the Ministry of Transport. My position is well-known that the major problem with SH2 is not the road but how people drive on it. Let the safety upgrades be done and the accident statistics carefully monitored to show their effectiveness. We might be surprised. Please, can we now just park the ridiculous wrangling over history and move on to the present in a positive frame of mind?

P Hickling, Papamoa Beach.