Parking meters good for city

Wollongong City Council deserves a pat on the back for approving the installation of parking meters for the town.

I'll go back into town once I know I'm assured of a parking spot for a quick visit, as I'm sure many others who have been avoiding the Wollongong parking situation will do.

I have been driving a taxi around the useless mall for 30 years and I know it's time the council got rid of the mall as well.

The mall is a huge deterrent to Wollongong's future success - that is if the NSW Government discontinues the expansion of Port Kembla's outer harbour.

It's plain as day that the outer harbour plan is simply for the benefit of its Labor Party heartland and not for the good of the people of Wollongong. No doubt this government is willing to kill off Wollongong city as a nice place to visit and will chase tourists away to protect its voting base.

It looks like the Illawarra may be the only place in the state with Labor representatives in Parliament after the next election.

Years ago when the coal and steel industries were working at their peak, I saw how badly the area suffered from lack of tourism.

Day trippers were as scarce as hen's teeth; people would not come here, the town looked dirty and in Sydney we were regarded as "the end of the earth".

People were terrified of Mt Ousley and almost as scared of Bulli Pass.

Once again the signs are there that people want to avoid Wollongong because of the bad name it's gathering from bad traffic accidents.

I can see traffic on Lawrence Hargrave Drive multiplying many times over, by those avoiding the "two hills".

Can the northern Illawarra handle this change? I think not.

Marie Turnbull, Corrimal.