Median Strip Suggested For Blenheim Road

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28747, 19 November 1958, Page 7

Median Strip Suggested For Blenheim Road

A median strip four to six, feet wide painted down the middle! of Blenheim road would improve traffic flow and make for greater safety, the engineer in chief of the National Roads Board (Mr L. C. Malt) said last evening. The strip had been tried in Auckland and traffic observed it. Tt works.” he said. Mr Malt, speaking fit a reading conference in Christchurch, was replying to ai Riccarton Borough Council suggestion that instead of isolated traffic islands in Blenheim road at pedestrian crossings the road should be ”cut in half by a strip down the. middle.” On behalf of the council the; Mayor of Riccarton (Mr E. J. 1 Bradshaw) said that lighting in] Blenheim road W’as most un-j satisfactory and should be im-| proved forthwith. The road was so wide side lighting would be. exceedingly difficult and centre! lighting, based on a median strip, i was suggested. “Lighting is only a matter of; design and illumination and I think the District Commissioner' of Works (Mr A. S. Clark) can solve the problem quiet simply,” replied Mr Malt. Financing Mr Bradshaw asked members of the National Roads Board who were present to consider highway financing through local authority areas not on a local authority’s ability to pay but on what was equitable. An example was the new Riccarton road lighting scheme which had cost a borough of 7000 persons £3500. ‘‘Yet 95 per cent, of travellers on that one mile and a quarter I of road are not residents,” he said. Mr Bradshaw said that Blenheim road had not siphoned through traffic from Riccarton road to the extent originally envisaged and this was because a bottleneck at the Christchurch city end of the road made it unattractive for travellers and thereby detracted from the proper usage of the highway. Mr Bradshaw urged that something be done quickly to improve the effectiveness of Blenheim road as a city outlet and relieve Riccarton road of the traffic clutter that neither council nor residents wanted. The Waimairi and Paparua counties were seeking the designation of Riccarton road as a main highway. Mr Clark told the meeting. When Blenheim road was put through, the part of the Christchurch-Timaru State highwav that it became, caused a re-

vocation of Riccarton road’s' State highway status, and reversion to county road status. The district roads council would support the counties’ claim for main highway status in asking the board to reconsider its decision in the matter. “There could be a major change in policy if we adopted the policy recommended by the Royal Commission on Local Body Finance —on no more main highways finance—and it is quite possiblbe that that policy could be adopted.’’ replied the chairman of the Roads Board and Minister of Works (Mr Watt). “There could be special assistance given on Riccarton road when the necessity arises. There is a similar problem throughout New Zealand, with the construction of motorways, and local bodies cannot stand up to maintaining the arterial routes the motorways replace.” he said. The Director of Reading (Mr W. F. Young) said that circumstances today were different from what they were 20 years ago. Responsibilities of local authorities everywhere were increasing. “Local authorities have got to move with the times and take delivery of those problems and find suitable answers.’’ he said. Mr Watt said that when the board handed back highways to local bodies they were in good condition. The only reason the counties wanted the road to be declared a main highway was to cash in on a three to one subsidy. If the money could be obtained without having to declare the road a main highway, perhaps l from special assistance, he was' sure the counties would be sat-i | isfied. Akaroa Section Mr Clark said that it was hoped ' that the board could have the! Hilltop-Barry’s Bay stretch of the Christchurch-Akaroa main highway improved next year. This was the last section of the road to be done. Mr Watt replied that he would be in the district on December 15 and have a first hand look at the road. Mr Watt said that in spite of pressure brought to bear on the board at every place that, was visited, the board would discharge its responsibility “to carve the cake according to the needs of each district.” If that policy! was adhered to the board could, not go wrong. “We have not come here to promise anything. We arc here to see what problems you have; and we will take them bark to, Wellington and analyse them in relation to problems in other parts of the country.” he said. Mr Watt said that in a short visit, board members might get, a broad picture of problems, but’ specific problems would need tobe told to it. Examples were, which end should the proposed I northern outlet from Christichurch be started from? Where I was the bottleneck?