I have just been informed that my medication I have been taking for many, many years to control a problem associated with Crohn’s Disease is no longer available on the PBS. So now I will have to pay $12 every two days for this medication whilst on a pension.

I would like the politicians to please explain to me why I must pay such a high price to keep myself living a “reasonable” life whilst these drug addicts are given everything.

Nobody forced them to take drugs. There is so much help out there for them.

I take numerous drugs for my Crohn’s Disease to keep me alive and now the government is making my job of living harder. Can I have my part of the money for the injection room put back into the price for my medication please?

I'm replying to Mr Bob Lee's letter (The Border Mail, November 1, ‘Green is Good’).

Mr Lee is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own set of facts. The withdrawal of VicRoads opposition to a building permit in Irvine Parade has nothing to do with the alignment of the bridge. His statement about the Green route being cheaper is in direct contrast to a statement from VicRoads regional director Brian Sherritt on December 16, 2015 where he said: “.... in comparing costs between the preferred Grey route (now the designated route) and the Green route, at this point in time our concept estimates indicate no substantial difference between the two options”.

Mr Lee's amazement at the congestion in Belmore Street indicates his lack of understanding of the project. The shopkeepers love having certain traffic, eg customers, in the main street.

VicRoads estimates the traffic in Belmore Street will fall by 32 per cent when the Grey route bridge is built. Everyone wants big trucks and any other through-traffic kept well away from the shopping precinct and the Grey route alignment will achieve this. 

Mr Lee seems to think all the current side streets will provide access from the west side of town if the Green route is chosen but that is not right. Access will by two streets only and what a shambles that will be especially in peak tourist time.

He proposes that the old bridge could be saved for tourism, community use and for historic reasons. The owners of the bridge will not hand it over to anything smaller than a Shire to manage. Maintenance and insurance will be prohibitive and it won't generate any income. If it was feasible to take it over why do Federation and Moira Shire have no desire to manage it? 

The new bridge will have a four-metre wide promenade that would easily accommodate a triathalon, without stopping traffic.

Remember, once the old bridge is decommissioned, VicRoads and RMS NSW will no longer have responsibility for it. Mr Lee feels it no burden at all to leave this ageing and degrading liability in the hands of future generations. If he would like to Google the Tabulam bridge project, he will see what RMS NSW do with bridges that require a “disproportionate share of the government's bridge maintenance funding”.