Carriers Give Reasons For Not Using Tunnel

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30560, 1 October 1964, Page 1

Carriers Give Reasons For Not Using Tunnel

Any reluctance by carriers to use the ChristchurchLyttelton road tunnel was not a result of any antipathy to the tunnel, or even to the principle of toll collection, but solely because of economic factors, representatives of the Christchurch Road Transport Association told the Road Tunnel Authority yesterday. They asked that the toll charges on measurement be reviewed, and suggested that an examination of the goods toll rate itself was warranted.

In all normal circumstances the goods toll charges made use of the tunnel less economic than the use of Evans Pass, said the chairman of the association (Mr N. S. Bidwell).

“The present goods toll of 4s 6d a ton is based upon the revenue required on an estimated annual tonnage to enable the authority to meet its own operating costs, interest, and capital repayments,” Mr Bidwell said. “Its basis is, therefore, totally unrelated to the cost of carting goods by alternative road routes. “In its simplest aspect, the problem relates to the cost of paying tunnel tolls as compared with the cost of the extra five miles and 20 minutes incurred in cartage via Evans Pass.” “Not Competitive” The toll rate of 4s 6d was not competitive with the Evans Pass route for either weight or measurement loads. It was completely unrelated where there was a high ratio of measurement to weight. It had been assumed in some quarters that consignees would direct their carriers to cart their goods through the tunnel, Mr Bidwell continued. With rare exceptions where speed of delivery was important, consignees were interested only in what it cost them to have their goods delivered. They sought quotations on that basis, and were not concerned about the route by which the cartage was done.

The effective saving in time between the arrival of ships and the receipt of goods at warehouses was not a result of use of the tunnel, he said. It was because of the ability

of road vehicles to operate direct from wharves to warehouses and because goods .were no longer held for considerable periods in railway trucks.

The only saving in time directly attributable to use of the tunnel was in travelling between Lyttelton and Christchurch. This, he said, was 19 minutes loaded and 13 minutes empty. The cost of saving time through the tunnel was prohibitive in relation to its value in terms of net income. While it was not intended to suggest that the time factor was inherently unimportant, it should not be overvalued in the authority’s deliberations. Harbour Change “It may be felt that the present trends will change when the Harbour Board’s transit sheds are fully operative,” Mr Bidwell said. “There can be no doubt that the total volume of cargo carted by road between the port and the city will increase enormously, and it can safely be assumed that the goods toll , traffic through the tunnel will i also increase; “Nevertheless, the considerations which influence the choice of route now would still have full force when a greater volume of traffic is handled.” For a single loaded trip, goods tolls plus vehicle tolls amounted to about 5s 6d a ton, and if two out of three tons carted by road went over the hill the authority would receive only 5s 6d instead of 16s 6d for every three tons carted. “We are well aware that there may have been some surprise that full use is not being made of the tunnel, due largely, we suggest, to somewhat generalised assumptions as to its advantages. “The tunnel is a magnifi4

cent piece of engineering and an outstanding addition to traffic facilities in Canterbury. We sincerely hope that by making these submissions we may have assisted the authority in its task of ensuring that it is also an asset to the economy of Canterbury,” Mr Bidwell said. At the suggestion of its chairman (Mr R. A. Witbrock) the authority referred the submissions to its finance committee.

Mr Witbrock said he thought an officer from the Transport Department, one from the Treasury, and possibly a representative of the Carriers’ Association could assist.