Park Motorway COMMITTEE SAYS NO

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30498, 21 July 1964, Page 1

Park Motorway COMMITTEE SAYS NO

The City Council’s reserves committee showed last evening that it was firmly against the proposed motorway across North Hagley Park: but a debate on the master transportation plan was avoided by the council.

A strongly-worded report and recommendation from the committee was held over for consideration at a special meeting planned by the council to consider the whole plan.

The committee said its report was prepared for the special meeting, but it was presented now because of the considerable public interest in the part of the plan affecting the park. “All possible means” should be adopted to preserve the existing character of the park and the council should record its determination to refuse to allow any encroachment on the area for the construction of a motorway except the minimum necessary to widen and reform the existing roadway of Harper avenue to ensure a satisfactory traffic flow between Park terrace and the junction of Fendalton road and Deans avenue, the committee said.

Care Of Reserves The committee said that one of its main functions was the care and preservation '' all public gardens, plots, reserves, and playing fields in the city for the pleasure of the public, and for its education.

“The largest and most important area is that embracing the Botanic Gardens and Hagley Park.” the committee continued. “On many occasions in the past attempts have been made to encroach on Hagley Park. To date, these have been resisted successfully by successive councils.

“These attempts have been made without serious thought being given to the trust imposed on us to preserve it for the use of future generations.

“This latest is the most vigorous and determined attempt ever contemplated in the history of Christchurch. We are determined to resist at all costs and with all our power encroachment for any purpose, by any body of people, on this, the main breathing space in the whole city.” First the committee protested at the proposed destruction or partial destruction of five existing playing fields. Next, it protested against the proposal to “filch” about 12 acres of park land. Third, while the park motorway might seem the perfect solution to the plan-

ners, full use of the existing “belts,” even at the expense of 10 per cent of the scheme, would be preferable to ruining the city environs and a very beautiful park. Fourth, the whole route was within the city boundaries and sub’ject to city speed limits. Only a very small proportion of the total city traffic would use it even at peak periods. Nine Acres The committee said that apart from the motorway itself, roundabouts and approaches would take about nine acres of park land. There would be destruction of more than 200 well-grown trees, some more than 100 years old. The proposed cloverleaf roundabout at the Fendalton road corner, taking about four acres and a half, would encroach deeply into the golf links. This was only a 12hole course and its future use for golf would be finished for ever. This would be doubly disastrous, the committee said. Not only was it intended that Harper avenue be discarded, but the motorway would run for the most part south of and parallel to it. This would necessitate the destruction of two rows of trees, including the muchadmired Japanese cherries. Discussing the traffic expected, the committee said tt would serve traffic between the city and Fendalton. Bryndwr, the airport and the urban fence. How was it possible that this area, even now about 80 per cent built-up, would increase in traffic flow by 160 per cent in 15 years? it asked. The build-up tn the area could not match by even onethird that which would occur at Hospital corner, especially when the proposed Antigua street bridge was built, but no such elaborate means of controlling traffic was contemplated there. Alternative The committee proposed an alternative. The sacrifice of a small strip of the northwest corner of the park might be inevitable to widen the approach to Fendalton and a second bridge hear the existing bridge would be necessary. “Harper avenue is practically unusable for one-third of its width, owing to the very high camber. By widening the avenue on the south side, to the existing fence, with a footpath inside the park, taking a few feet from the grass verge on Little Hagley on the north and slightly straightening the ‘elbow,’ a six-lane roadway could be constructed,” the committee continued. “By taking an easy bend to the south-east, commencing at the totem pole, to a new bridge about three chains south of the existing one, and from thence to the Park terrace roadway, the whole of the elaborate road and approaches contemplated would become unnecessary. “Should it be necessary to build a fly-over at this end, to channel through traffic to and from Bealey avenue, the present bridge could be extended both upstream and down, to any extent desirable. This would improve the northern approach at the Carlton Mill road corner, and provide the cross-over into Park terrace.” The Mayor (Mr G. Manning) proposed holding over the report until the special meeting, and this was adopted without discussion.