The Press THURSDAY, JULY 31, 1947. Traffic in the Square

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25250, 31 July 1947, Page 6

The Press THURSDAY, JULY 31, 1947. Traffic in the Square

For more than three and a half years citizens of Christchurch have seen the City Council and the Tramway Board meet in conference after conference without reaching agreement on a plan for traffic in Cathedral square, and for the greater part of that period they have watched the increasing volume of traffic—-motor-vehicles, trains, buses, cyclists and pedestrians—.become more and more disorderly and dangerous. The public has therefore no reason to believe that, because representatives of the two local bodies are to meet again this week, as was announced at Monday’s meeting of the council, both bodies now mean business and agreement is in sight. But that is what the meeting should mean. The council’s traffic committee, throughout the long -negotiations, has shown itself both eager to deal with the problem quickly and patient with the Tramway Board’s not unreasonable wish to defer decisions until they can be taken in conformity with its long-term development policy. Unfortunately the board has been as tardy in making known its plans for the future of + he service as in getting down to brass tacks on the Cathedral square question. Recent meetings of the council have suggested that some councillors are nearing the end of their patience, even if the traffic committee is not.

The lay-out of tram tracks will naturally be one of the main subjects to be discussed. Until these are defined the City Council cannot go ahead with the traffic engineering involved —the construction of safety zones, pedestrian crossings, and other works. Unless the board has still, at this late stage, not decided what fixed-track services are to be retained in the next few years, there should be no obstacle to an agreement on all the essentials of a reorganisation plan. Such a plan would not exclude subsequent adjustments or even experiments in the use of alternative terminals for tram and bus services outside the Square. The main task of the conference will be to clear the way to a system of control which eliminates the present serious dangers. Trams must not be allowed to travel against the flow of traffic and pedestrians must not be allowed to cross car-riage-ways except in defined channels. Those are basic decisions which can be made and put into effect at once, while more difficult issues, ff necessary, can be ferred.

Although the City Council in July last year published its proposals to reorganise traffic in the Square, the public have, in general, been told too little about the plans of both parties and of the negotiations between them. Only fragmentary reports of the many conferences have been released to the public, and even members of the council have had to press their traffic committee 'for more complete information. Since nothing has been said, it has to be assumed that the conference on Friday will, like the others, be in committee. If so, it will >e regrettable, because the public have a close interest in the issues involved and a right to be fully informed. There is another strong reason for completely open discussion. The long deadlock over the Square is regarded by many citizens as convincing proof that divided control of the city’s roads is bad. There may, of course, be no further delays; but if there are, the public will want to be able to judge which body is to blame.