CITY TRAFFIC.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 141, 17 June 1938, Page 11

CITY TRAFFIC.

BUSY OUTLETS.

PLANS FOR FUTURE. QUAY STREET CONGESTION. MERITS OF EASTERN ROUTE. 111. 1-" -i.'ilir n<.in the lower part of the < ■ . i.n fa-tern outlet, as described in t:. '•■ ■" iiiticle and shown on the plan ; '' . li;, ~! - li:i«* groat advantages, but t- •;•'• :■••• many motorists who do not. ;"■'. '•'•■■ A not, find it convenient to <=■■■■' ■' ieave the city by the wateiV ui !-..-ltC. 1 : i< is a weakness common to all proI ■-■''' t.. make use of Quay Street and Kh:u's Drive in planning an outlet for J'/'J" ,, t-iilii , . It is, unfortunately, a d:-V -ll'y which i< not easy to overcome. *•■•■':•• <•( tiie important thoroughfare* <■! il.c city do n<.t load towards the w.u.-rir.mt. but away from it. and the -; r ' '■•>- :ii.-li naturally carry trattic in i i:it direction hiive a number of busv i:-.;.'i--e.-ti..ns which cannot lie avoided In o>;:i v Street the shunting of trains Tii ami l i-i'iM the wharves is liable to • ■aii-e .-ii.l.U-ii congestion, particularly during the bn*y i, ( , urs ()f thp <lav . U) Jj iiio -treet. in it.s present condition, is it..t one which sl, im i ( i i, e regarded as a ) :■■•!.■ -liannel for a largely-increased y-->l.;;i:i« of fast-moving traffic. Besides r- ..tiier disadvantage* side streams of if-'lVi- at the junction with several t-- ''ts are a source of continuous interniiitinn to the smooth movement of t...-oiii»h vehicles. Railway Station an Obstacle. An alternative link with Tamaki I'rive is along Beach Road and The Strand, but this route also has difficulties of approach. At the city end much cross traffic is encountered and the existonce of a tramway loop to the railway station i« another weakness. Apart from the.se objections, the route is circuitous instead of direct.

Between the city and The Strand, the railway station and yards interpose an oik-tacle in the way of improvement in the communications with the eastern waterfront. A glance at the map of Auckland reveals the difficulty which confronts an engineer in attempting to P- :in f,lr the freer movement of traffic from the heart of the city to the east.

'•It is not easy to estimate what traffic would be diverted if an eastern highway were formed." said an engineer of wide experience in commenting on this a.*pect. "but in my opinion the outlet proposed would immediately carry 7-">00 vehicles daily, and in a few years a great many more."

Traffic tallies taken over the past ■=even or eight years have shown that the traffic in King's Drive -was doubled between 1931 and 1937, and in Beach Road there was an increase of over 30' per cent. More complete figures -will he available when the count taken this year is analysed. Importance of Grafton Bridge. One fact must be recognised in regard to all the tallies so far taken, namely, that Grafton Bridge and Symonds Street carry easily the heaviest volume of traffic in the city. In 10.31, 18.000 vehicles daily used these reatte, «iupared with 10.800 in Pitt Street, and a s-lightly smaller total in Broadway and at the foot of Anzac Avenue. In" 1937, although the proportions had considerably changed and the figures for Grafton Bridge and Symonds Street were reduced to about 10,500 daily, while those for Beach Road and Anzac Avenue, and Broadway (Newmarket) had risen above 13.000 in each case, it was clear that the main distributing arteries for traffic continued to be tho»e which served the upper parts of the city.

Proposals for outlets which would relieve this position substantially by tapping the city's traffic at its heart have been few. One which had merit is now ruled out by building development in the vicinity of Anzac Avenue. '1 his was the Jermyii Street scheme, under which it was suggested the grade of Shoitland Street should be reduced and thr through access improved at the Upper end. A more recent suggestion made was that a tunnel should be driven under Albert Park from Victoria Street E;:st to link up eventually with a road through the old Parnell railway tunnel. This proposal, however, was dUiieult to defend on the score of cost, and did not appear to provide adequately for the needs of the future. City's Topography. Both proposals reveal the extent to which the topography of the city and the problems of compensation enter into tin- question of traffic outlets. It is really the dominance of these factors which compels engineers and townplanners to propose a route to the east of the city. In positive merits a highway across Hohson Hay. following the course described in the second article, would have much to commend it from a city, as well a- suburban, point of view. Jt would l.e a short route to rapidly developing parts of the Remuera district, would link up existing dead ends, including Lucerne. Xgapuhi, Waiatarua and Meadowbank. Roads, and, by extensions. Victoria Avenue, Pukeora" and Kelvin Roads. It would be the quickest. easiest, safest and most economical route from the lower part of the city to south-eastern and southern districts. ami to the proposed Manukau airport, and. with the exception of the easy rise to Meadowbank. the road would be piaeticailv level throughout. All curvature would more than comply with the latest requirements ~f the Main Highways hoard.

This combination of advantages, in ndditiitii to the features previously |><>iuted out. make an eastern highway deviation the most practicable solution yet brought forward for the benefit of city Ila tlie.

I he needs of the upper portion of the •■ity and the northern, western and south-western districts will require separate treatment. It is possible that in time tlie waterfront road may be extended along the foreshore of the tipper Waitemata Harbour, and that the inuehdiscussed harbour bridge will be a actuality. When these developments occur the question of linking up with tlie east and south will become important. (Concluded.)