HISTORIC markers around our city and district recording highlights of our industrial, commercial and political saga are a popular idea and clearly attract interest. But like any good idea they're only as good as the follow-up program.
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And that's sadly lacking at some locations. Most neglected in our experience is the installation at one of our busiest sites for visitors - adjacent to the playground in Queen Elizabeth Park.
Quite possibly it has never been cleaned and some of the paintwork on the frame has been vandalised. It shouldn't be too difficult to regularly clean away the grime (even allowing for the park's notorious lack of water).
Little things really do mean a lot when creating a good impression so maybe an inspection of all the markers every few months would be a worthwhile investment.
Return of the cash cow
Well, we thought it might have been a joke or at very least a misprint. But no, Transport for NSW really wants you, me and anyone interested to have a say on whether the fixed speed camera should be re-installed at Hartley. The camera near River Lett was taken out during roadworks in 2016 and is now the subject of review.
The decision has no doubt already been made but you can voice an opinion at drop-in sessions at Hartley School on Thursday (4 to 6 pm or 6.30 to 8.30), on line, or by phoning 1800 066 243. For the record, most of the serious accidents at that location in The Mercury's experience were the result of careless exits to the highway from Caves Road.
Tunnel vision
STILL on our roads and the trainload of cash in the Budget for the Katoomba-Lithgow upgrade would have made quite a dent in a Bells Line program once the stifling effect of National Park and World Heritage hysteria can be sidelined. Previous costly projects at Blackheath achieved little.
Something scary about the prospect of sharing the nation's longest tunnel with thundering B Doubles, just to save an estimated seven minutes crossing the Mountains.
Napalm might work
YOU know we have an escalating mouse problem in our part of the world when the shelves at Lithgow's only hardware store (Bunnings) are stripped bare of every item of rodent control - traps, poisons, all that stuff. Only the price tags remain to frustrate the hunters.
Mitre 10 at Blackheath recently had ample stock after wisely anticipating the looming problem so they might be worth a phone call.
