ROUNDING OF CORNERS

Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26855, 7 October 1952, Page 3

ROUNDING OF CORNERS

ALTERATIONS IN BYLAWS IMPROVING VISIBILITY AND TURNING Alterations in by-laws to allow more rounding of corners in Christchurch to improve visibility and give easier turning by large vehicles -were approved by the Christchurch City council last evening. Removal of corner poles by placing wires underground will also be considered. A recommendation of the housing and town-planning committee that the : existing by-law be amended to require ! all corners in the whole of the city area to be cut off to an 18ft radius jOr, alternatively, to a splay 12ft each ! way from the corner, was approved. It was also agreed that similar conditions be incorporated in the building by-laws so that buildings to be erected will in no case protrude over the 18ft radius curve or the splay 12ft each way from the corner. , “There are two other points which should be considered when making a decision on the above matter,” the committee said. ‘‘First, the question of compensation. Up to the present the oft cut off in commercial areas has been complied with without any claim for compensation arising. With the additional area required by the I2ft cut off it is possible that claims may be lodged. The area lost by the 6rt cut off is 18 square feet, and this is increased to 72 square feet by the 12ft » ?“• may be Possible to give effect to the new proposed corner rounding by means of a building line by-law under section 192 of the Municipal Corporations Act. It is suggested that the city solicitors be asked for an opinion on this matter.

Second, there is the problem of placing telegraph and electric power Doles at corners. It is necessary that the poles be olaced so that the wires are at least 4ft from any part of the building. This difficulty could be overcome by olacing the poles on the curve of the kerb at a point approximately 9ft from the tangent point. “It was decided that the report be placed before the traffic committee for its comments, and a reply was received stating that the committee had approved of the nrinciple contained in the report, but recommending that the corners in the whole of the city area be cut off to a radius of 27ft and that all nower lines be placed underground at the corners.”

It was agreed that the recommendation of the traffic committee be adopted and that the necessary steps be taken to amend by-law No. 15 accordingly.

Turning Radius of Buses The housing and town planning committee had earlier explained that the existing by-law on the rounding or splaying of street corners in subdivisions required the corners to be “rounded to a radius of 18ft in a residential area or cut off 6ft each way, if in a business area, and the resulting surplus shall be dedicated as street.’’ The difference in the amount of corner cut off was apparently due to the assumption that, in the central business areas, traffic moved more slowly and the additional visibility afforded by the large cut off for faster moving traffic in the suburbs was not considered necessary. However, the 6ft cut off had been applied to all business areas both central and local, and even to- isolated shop sites, on corners, in the suburbs. The by-law had been in existence for 20 years, and during that time larger vehicles have been produced, and one of the factors governing the cut off has now become the turning radius of larger vehicles such as trucks and passenger buses. The effect of the small cut off was to force these large vehicles across the centre line of the street into the opposing line of traffic, when commencing and completing an ordinary right-angled, left-hand turn.

The majority of corner commercial sites in the suburbs would not be as much concerned with ■ the turning radius of vehicles as the sites in the central area, but corner shops in the suburbs should be sited to give a clear view of approaching traffic. The 18ft radius on the title boundary should be made the minimum requirement for the rounding of all corners throughout the city, providing, as it did, both for a clear view of. approaching traffic and for a satisfactory turning radius. From the architectural standpoint a splayed corner might be preferred to a curved one. To preserve both the visibility and the satisfactory turning radius the splayed corner, if permitted, should be a minimum of 12ft each way from the corner.