Privileges For City Bus Transport Advocated

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30286, 12 November 1963, Page 15

Privileges For City Bus Transport Advocated

The fact that the utmost use must be made of mass transport for the movement of people to, from, and in the city made it imperative for those authorities who had a voice in the regulation of rqads and road traffic to see that public transport was given preferential treatment over general traffic, said the general manager of the Christchurch Transport Board (Mr J. F. Fardell) in a report presented at a meeting of the board's works and traffic committee yesterday. The report covered matters dealt with at the conference in Brisbane recently of Australian and New Zealand city transit managers. Mr Fardell said that all transport authorities in Australia and New Zealand seemed to be meeting similar difficulties as in Christchurch in traffic congestion. “All undertakings agree that traffic congestion has continued to grow over the last two years, and is caused by increased car registrations.

“The congestion mainly occurs in the city centre, although some of the larger cities find that the congestion which affects passenger services has occurred in the suburbs where supermarket facilities have been provided. This shift of congestion is understandable, as the already congested city centres reduce shopping custom. When outer facilities are provided they attract more and more car customers, who in turn create their own congestion.” Mr Fardell said examples of privileges ganted to public transport in other parts of the world were:—Bus stops in special bays or restricted to bus use only; a special bus lane at intersections; traffic signal privileges, cross traffic turns by buses only; a lane reserved for buses either with the flow of traffic or opposite to it; and exclusive use of certain streets by public transport. “It is evident that if costly motorways and roading programmes are to be avoided, then some preference will have to be given to the free movement of public transport at the peak hours.” said Mr Fardell's report. “New Zealand is yet young in the introduction of motorways and special traffic roads, and young enough to learn the lessons of the United States by avoiding the astronomical costs which have not solved the American traffic congestion problem. The importance of giving consideration to help the movement of

people by public transport cannot be over-emphasised.” A steam tram may run along the only remaining strip of tramway track left unsealed in Papanui, in September next year, to mark the tenth anniversary of the conversion of the Papanui line to bus operation.

The board supported the proposal, which came from the Papanui Central Business Association through the Tramway Preservation Society, subject to approval being granted from the city council. Other conditions are that the society indemnify the board against accidents arising from the use of the tram, and that it be restored to proper working order. Fendalton Extension An extension of the Fendalton route, approved by the board some months ago, will start with the new time-table on December 2. The present terminus in Cranbrook avenue wil be extended to Kendal avenue. Tyre Mileages Bus tyre mileages in New Zealand were not as good as they should be, said Mr Fardell. He said the board had been granted an import licence for four tyres from Australia for trial purposes on Christchurch buses. The tyres were recapped by a process brought into use in Australia which, it was claimed, gave a 100 per cent increase in mileage on ordinary recapping methods. Mr Fardell said that this was a matter which had created much interest, and very large savings would be made if the claims were correct. Ordinary tread mileages of tyres in most Australian public transport undertakings were higher than in New Zealand.