Decisions to erect huge developments have implications for the lives of residents, all road users and the environment. We see this in cities.

Lake Macquarie City Council’s proposal for Toronto’s Bath Street development of the green space and foreshore opposite the Royal Motor Yacht Club is causing growing disquiet. The issues are lack of sensitive protection of the foreshore, and the impact on community wellbeing from unlimited growth in a limited space.

We can’t measure wellbeing in dollar terms. We can’t measure the value of our community all having equal access to their foreshore and green spaces.

It’s easier to measure a building in dollar terms than it is to measure how unhappy people are when stuck in traffic gridlock or fighting for a parking space on any day. And how do you put a dollar value on the safety of school children in a busy narrow street?

The Toronto community must surely be smarting at the apparent indifference of council to the likely impact on their daily quality of life and their access to the foreshore.

We stand to lose foreshore and gain congestion. Toronto’s most valuable assets: people and foreshore, are being overlooked.

- Linda Ireland, Toronto

AUSTRALIA Post certainly knows how to get their customers offside with the new post box clearing times of 10am Sunday to Friday for stand-alone post boxes, and 5pm for those post boxes outside a post office. This will only make the already painfully slow delivery times even worse, basically adding at least one more day from posting to delivery – especially for businesses that traditionally post their mail late in the afternoon.

- Ian King, Warners Bay

FOUR seniors found ourselves locked in the lift above platform 1 at Wyong Station at 9.20am one day last week.

So we rang the lift company number shown on the lift wall. They would send a technician from Gosford. We'd be out in 30 minutes.

We joked about our predicament until one said he should have used the toilet before he got in the lift.

We passed that info onto the lift company. Then action started.

Rail staff were soon banging on the door. “Are you OK?”

Within a few minutes the Wyong Volunteer Rescue Service man was at the door working his magic. The undamaged door was opened in seconds. We were released.

It had been a dry-mouth experience but rail staff were on hand offering bottled water. The Wyong VRS volunteer, who'd left his workplace to come to our aid, and Wyong rail staff deserve a pat on the back.

- Bob Jay, Bonnells Bay

I WRITE to alert readers to a potential road safety hazard recently created on Awaba Road, just east of the Milford Street intersection. Locals will be familiar with how Awaba Road narrows from two lanes to one at Jindalee Street, when travelling west, and how vehicles slow significantly to make the left turn into Milford Street. Previously, this was not a hazard as the road was wide enough to safely pass the turning traffic. But not any more, thanks to the new extremely wide centre median area narrowing the westbound lane to a single-vehicle width. I fear rear-end collisions will result.

- Robert G Eldridge, Toronto

LAKE Macquarie City Council never ceases to amaze me. Now they are considering paid parking in larger towns like Toronto and Warners Bay. It’s to benefit the public mind you, not for raising revenue. What a laugh!

- Julie Robinson, Cardiff