GERALDINE OBJECTS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 211, 19 June 1935, Page 7

GERALDINE OBJECTS

ROAD DEVIATION PROPOSAL. HIGHWAYS BOARD CRITICISED. (Special to the “Guardian.”) GERALDINE, June 18. Although no official advice has been received from the Main Highways Board, it has been learned by the Geraldine Business Men’s Association, through Mr O. J. Talbot, of Fairlie, a member of the board, that it is the board’s intention in the meantime to go on with the original Bangitata deviation scheme which omits Geraldine. As a result, at a meeting of tile assosociation yesterday, it was decided to write to the Main Highways Board Asking for official advice, and requesting that the matter be held up.meanwhile. In the absence of Mr B. It. Macdonald, Mr A. G. Brown presided over the meeting. It was stated that a letter had been received from Mr Talbot some time ago, saying that the board had decided to go on with the original scheme, and supposing that the association, had already been advised officially of the fact. No official communication was received,' but in jx letter just to hand, acknowledging correspondence regarding the two dangerous railway crossings which, it is claimed, the board’s scheme will create, Mr Talbot stated that the Main Highways Board was fully alive to the position at the proposed but up to the present it saw no adequate reason for departing from the proposed original route. He regretted that no official communication had yet reached them and would make inquiries this ween when in Wellington. He might say as a general policy that the Main Highways Board fully realised the desirability of ilimina.ting railway crossings, and in the past it had aided this muchneeded work, in conjunction with local bodies and the Railway Department by heavy subsidies. Unfortunately hard times had held up the board’s elimination policy, but the board had recently renewed negotiations with the liail- \ way Department, but with little result so far. Request for Information. When the committee met yesterday members expressed the opinion that the Highways Board was avoiding the issue in. view of the strong case advanced by the association. It appeared as if the board had dropped its investigation into the costs and relative .merits of the two schemes. It was decided to write to the board asking for official 'information, and requesting that the matter he held up meantime. Last evening, Air C. S. Davies (secretary) issued a statement on behalf of the Association, summarising the many advantages of the Geraldine scheme, which saves six miles on the old route, as compared with the ten saved by the hoard’s route. “Hard to Understand.” “It is hard to understand the hoard’s attitude that up to the present it sees no adequate reason for departing from the proposed original route, as stated by Mr Talbot, in view of the arguments, national and local, raised by our association,” adds, the report. “Surely the saving of four miles for only a third of the motorists is poor compensation, for the additional running expenses that the majority of motprists will incur; the heavier initial and-maintenance costs caused by the unnecessary duplication of arterial highway; the creation of two - dangerous level crossings, and additional rail hazards, and the omitting of Geraldine from the route which will run further from medical and repair assistance in the case of emergency. “We feel that the Highways Board is avoiding our arguments. We hojje that- it has not made a final decision; that it will adopt our scheme as the one calculated to serve the great majority of motorists.”