“Law Still Unused” In Planning Of Roads

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29747, 14 February 1962, Page 10

“Law Still Unused” In Planning Of Roads

Planning for the motor age would be more realistic and businesslike if regional planning authorities enlarged their boundaries beyond the metropolitan areas and took over district road councils, Mr D. B. Dallas told the annual conference of the New Zealand Institution of Engineers. Mr Dallas, planning engineer with the Ministry of Works, in presenting hi? paper on roading implications of the Town and Country Planning Act, said that this was his personal opinion which, as far as he knew, had never been considered officially.

Certain adjustments in representation would be needed, but everyone concerned in the union would benefit enormously, Mr Dallas said. It was a practical method of integrating highway planning with general land-use planning. As a start, perhaps, the Christchurch Regional Planning Authority would like to rearrange itself slightly and make a take-over bid for the No. 14 District Roads Council?

Ribbon Development One section of his paper could be headlined “The Immense Importance of the Limited Access Road ” This dealt with ribbon development and the functions of streets.

“Whatever we call it—ribbon development, sporadic development, or small-scale subdivision in rural areas—the result is a creeping paralysis of our arterial roads and streets,” said Mr Dallas “The paper refers to official opposition to this development, and to the existence of adequate legislation for dealing with it Then why is it still going on, how aeriow

is it, and what can be done about it?

“Ribbon development still goes on because we are not clear on the question of private and community rights, because the insidious nature of the disease has failed to arouse any widespread sense of the calamity that is developing, and because there is inadequate knowledge of the “xistence of Section 9 of the Public Works Amendment Act, 1956 Law Unused

“For years, planning staff have talked about the menace of ribbon development, but the legislation designed to stop it and enacted over five years ago has not been used.

“It is folly to plan construction of motorways—the ultimate in highways—when we have not yet taken steps to protect and to make the best use of the roads we have.”

Mr Dallas said that in the United States, in Britain, and in parts of Australia, the limited access principle was recognised as the onlv means of protecting the public investment in highways by maintaining their efficiency. Mr Dallas said that, at present, the roading system was basically in two classes: roads and streets, and motorways. National thinking should be adjusted to a fourclass basis: motorways, major arterial routes. collectordistributors and local access routes.

Specialisation should apniy to the street system. For example, a high proportion of total traffic was carried by a relatively small proportion of roads and streets This particular network should be given the primary function of traffic circulation. All other functions should be rigidly controlled and if possible gradually eliminated.