I would also like either council, Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) or even the lord mayor herself to explain the signs for cyclists at the traffic lights at the junction of Turton and Lambton roads. There is a designated (official) cycleway from the stadium to Northcott Drive and beyond yet, if one follows the advice given the RMS literature, the signs are most confusing. 

If travelling south, it appears the cyclist has to dismount, walk across the slip road to the central section where the illuminated sign has a green bicycle which means he/she can ride, but what happens on the slip road on the south side? Do we walk across?

Travelling from the south side there is no “cyclist dismount” sign, and the central section has the green cyclist/pedestrian sign (illuminated).

If this sounds confusing, then I suggest reading the RMS road rules for cyclists and trying to apply them to this crossing.

If one follows the rules as printed, then we have to dismount, walk, remount, cycle, dismount, walk. It is no surprise that the majority of cyclists ride across this intersection.

PS: Don’t bother booking a trip to Santorini, we have better donkey tracks in Newcastle like Mackie Avenue, Elizabeth Street, lots of Merewether streets, and of course the boardwalk at Throsby Creek.

One doesn’t have to ring the bell - it happens anyway.

CONGRATULATIONS to the Newcastle Herald for the access to a very informative video of the Victoria Theatre’s 1891 venue plans (‘A new chapter for old gem’, Herald, 1/11.

My memories of this wonderful venue are of two shows: the musical White Horse Inn performed by Newcastle Dramatic Art Club directed by Colin Chapman Snr, using an innovative revolving stage, and an Australian Tour of The Folies Berge`re Revue, complete with naked women, acting as statues standing on pedestals. They were not allowed to move in the performance.

IS ANYONE else appalled at the hideous, barren heat sink, a huge concrete desert, which has been created along Hunter Street near its junction with Worth Place?

The beautiful plane trees and brush boxes which once cast dappled shade along these footpaths are now a distant memory. There is no provision for re-planting desperately-needed shade trees to improve either the aesthetic or temperature along a whole city block. The paltry, struggling creepers planted centre-road further along Hunter Street will do nothing to mitigate the effect of our soaring summer temperatures. What were the light rail landscapers thinking?

TWO million containers handling capacity for Newcastle (‘ACCC’s Newcastle queries’, Herald, 2/11), and all of these will be trucked to Sydney by roads that are not built to handle two million trucks plus all the traffic they carry now.

You Newcastle people were shafted with the trams up Hunter Street you didn't know you needed, then the car race in the streets. Now with this, more traffic problems than you could think of. Maitland people don't go to Newcastle as in school holidays you can't go through Tarro to Hexham because of all the traffic going north from Sydney. Now there is no parking at the beach on weekdays because of workers parking there. What happens in Newcastle affects all the outer towns.

WHY can't Newcastle finally remove itself from being a dirty, noisy, industrial city?

We are kept notified that the powers that be are still fighting for Mayfield to become a container terminal.

Are Newcastle people going to be happy that two million containers are potentially to travel through all the roads leading to the container terminal 24 hours per day?

Considering the size of a container terminal, it employs very few people in terms of job opportunities. So, what (if any) are the benefits of destroying Newcastle’s last inner city large area for the profit of a few? 

I can't believe these people think they are doing Newcastle a favour when it's only themselves that will benefit from this proposal. I can't believe the Green movement in Newcastle (if there is one) might allow this destruction of potential park land and create a constant stream of truck movements without a fight.

I WOULD like to add my name to Roland Millbank's regarding the ANZAC Memorial Walkway in Newcastle (Letters, 1/11). I went into Newcastle a few months ago especially to see the Memorial Walk. My great-uncle was a soldier in World War I and I wanted to see if his name was there. Sure enough, it was.

I was so proud of my maiden name at that moment. I had only met my great-uncle once, but had heard about him from my father. After the war he lived in Canterbury and became the mayor. A sporting oval was named after him, Blick Oval.

Delving into family history can be so rewarding.

STEPHEN Galilee's response to news that technological change will dramatically contract the market for Hunter Valley coal (‘Rising demand drives a future for coal’, Herald, 2/11) is disappointing to say the least. He quotes coal demand projections by the International Energy Agency (IEA) without mentioning that the scenario he cites is consistent with global warming of around 2.7 degrees.

In the future Mr Galilee looks forward to, we suffer extreme heat and the death of the Great Barrier Reef because we've failed to meet the Paris climate agreement goals. Perhaps he is right and that is the more likely path, but is it the one we want?

The IEA has also forecast coal markets in a future where we meet the Paris climate goals and take action to reduce air pollution. That is the scenario cited in the report.

Achieving the Paris climate agreement goals means coal markets will contract. It is only fair that we are candid about that and plan for it. Do mining companies have no plans at all for how they will leave this region and how the Hunter will weather the changes ahead?

Email letters@theherald.com.au or send a text message to 0427 154 176 (include name and suburb). Letters should be fewer than 200 words. Short Takes should be fewer than 50 words. Correspondence may be edited and reproduced in any form.