Bill Faulkner's weekly column (1 June) informs us, the estimated cost to refurbish the Matapihi footbridge is $770,000 a consultants report costing $44,000 advised the footbridge is suitable for single file pedestrian use only.
Ken Patterson the TCC CEO has heeded the advice given by some Health and Safety Officer for the bridge to remain open, security officers acting as safety officers, have been stationed at each end on the bridge then 50 metres apart 24/7, to ensure each of us walk in single file and don't loiter, plus a barrier of gating has been erected the entire length of the bridge.
Who are the fools in all of this, the H&S people for suggesting such a outrageous idea, the CEO for being silly enough to go along with their ridiculous recommendations or us the ratepayers as we have to pay for their stupidity.
This will be costing us at least $5000 a day for next 6 to 8 months or perhaps even longer.
The Mayor and councillors need to be held to account, as they have failed to react on other engineering reports that identified parts of the footbridge were in need of repair. The footbridge is either fit for its intended purpose or it's not.

Brian Porter, Welcome Bay.