Car driving towards water
Our community

Your views Oct/Nov 2021

Our readers share their thoughts on car screens, roundabouts, potholes and more.

Roundabout response

Neville Cooper, Dynnyrne

Daphne Longman’s letter (Journeys August– September p. 8) suggests the lack of adherence to roundabout rules may be general. It also seems two other issues exacerbate the problem: small roundabouts and drivers on bigger streets (eg. Regent and Lord St in Dynnyrne). Drivers on Regent regularly bully their way through, while cars on Lord approach cautiously. The incidence of this is lower on larger ones like those on Acton Road. One large roundabout, like the one at Carrara in the Gold Coast, would be much cheaper (the site is not hampered by space), safer and more efficient than the confusion being constructed at the Sandfly Huon Road intersection.

Information overload

Keith Broomfield, Exeter

I read with interest the letter ‘Distracted drivers’ in Journeys August–September (p. 9), and I certainly agree that the amount of information in front of drivers is very distracting. I drive a Renault Koleos that has a basic amount of information on the instrument panel and a central screen which is not a distraction at all. When the car was in for a service I received a loan car, a Suburu XV, and was amazed at just how much distraction there was: not only with the drivers’ instrument panel but also on the central panel and smaller ventilation panel below it. The instrument panel had so much information that flashed up on a screen that was itself distracting, and then there was the lane changing/deviation information, blind area advisory, and the list goes on. Manufacturers should keep it simple without over-burdening the driver with information and distraction. Mind you, I was impressed with the quality of the reversing camera. So there we are – a nice car, but too complex, I

Thanks for reading

Gina Anderson, Ulverstone

Please don’t ever stop producing Journeys magazine in print form. I find it much more enjoyable and easier to read than the digital format. Scanning a page and reading what interests you is much more enjoyable in a magazine than clicking forwards and backwards on a brightly lit screen. I can earmark items of interest for later reading or take my magazine with me when at work or travelling. It’s not always easy accessing emails when out and about, the process being more time-consuming than simply opening a page. If you were to make the magazine in digital format only, I believe I would simply stop reading it. The first digital one I received through emails only held my interest for little more than five minutes.

Via Facebook:

Have you got any concerns about the Bass Highway between Launceston and Devonport?

Kylie Nicholas

Before you consider putting more roads anywhere, you’d best teach the crews that build them how to actually build them correctly – like back in the olden days when roads were constructed in such a great manner they didn’t need partially replacing or patching every six months after they were constructed.

Joshua Tadman

Concerns... the whole stretch of road between Deloraine and Devonport is a concern! Specifically the terrible surface condition, with poorly patched potholes and then patched-over patches that just open back up to craters of such a size that you might find sheep sheltering in them. That whole stretch of road is like a slalom course for dodging rim-breaking holes and poor repairs.

Lindy Dunster

It has the highest density of freight in the state. It needs to be four lanes and built properly, not just slapped together. The sections that have had work are breaking up after only a very short amount of time. A lot of the infrastructure, such as overpasses, is already in place. Four lanes all the way.

Noel Sheean

This is the main traffic road that most heavy transport from the ferries and tourists use, and they are met with a patchwork quilt of repair ruts. Every political party for as long as I can remember has promised to make this road a four-lane highway – it is a total disgrace.

Chris H. Gunn

The roads are spot-on – it’s the drivers. Think before you overtake. Simple, really. If you are tired, pull over, have a short walk around then get back in. A five-minute break is better than your relatives and friends going to your funeral.