In Pacific Drive - a back street of Fingal Bay and well away from through traffic - an entire kangaroo family, father, mother and Joey were killed only last November. One can only imagine the carnage on a through road.

Loads of towns have a much further drive for emergency medical care. And the extra day-to-day is easily made up for by the privilege of living in such a wonderful part of Port Stephens.

I’m sure the proponents of this road would probably charge me with 'Nimby-ism', but it is not just my back yard, there are a lot of non-human residents who don’t have a voice.

Will Ms Abbott be happy to volunteer to assist the injured wildlife?

Also read: Letters to the Editor, March 7

Continuing to plant koala food and habitat trees is commendable, but until we have strong guidelines for developers to save existing trees, our few remaining koalas are doomed.

A model for Port Stephens Council and developers to adopt could be based on the Pottsville Koala Beach Estate.

- No cats and dogs within the estate.

- The inclusion of speed bumps near known koala home ranges.

- A requirement that all fences within the estate be raised so that koalas and other wildlife can enjoy free access around the estate.

- The provision that no koala home range or food tree be removed for - development purposes.

- The establishment of a Wildlife and Habitat Management Committee with funding from an environment levy on the rates.

This plan has existed for almost 25 years with success. See more at www.savethekoala.com/our-work/koala-beach-housing-development

Also read: Letters to the Editor, February 28

I am a long term resident of Fingal Bay and I value living in this beautiful area, surrounded by Tomaree National Park. I have never been consulted on what I think of the proposal for a Fingal Bay bypass.

Like all residents, I experience some traffic congestion during the peak visitor periods. But I can easily tolerate an extra five or 10 minutes to my trip, for six weeks a year, when the other 46 weeks of the year are fine. The idea the road will assist in dispersing residents in a bush fire emergency is, in my opinion, false. In such an event, the bypass would be the most dangerous route and possibly cut off.

Fingal Beach is a large, accessible and advantageous evacuation/refuge point for all residents if need be.

The environmental impacts of the road creation are phenomenal. In an already small and heavily fragmented conservation reserve, crisscrossed with borelines and powerlines, and under enormous pressure from ever increasing human-induced impacts, the bypass creates further habitat destruction.

This is the same national park that attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year, and will soon exhibit a $4 million walking track. Why destroy a natural tourist attraction, at a cost of $188 million, for the sake of a five minute convenience?

Letters on election issues must bear the name and full address of the writer. Responsibility for election comment in this issue is accepted by the Port Stephens Examiner editor Anna Wolf. 

Writers should disclose any alliance with political or community organisations and include their phone number for verification. Election candidates should declare themselves as such when submitting letters.

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