“The Bottle-Neck”

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31343, 13 April 1967, Page 12

“The Bottle-Neck”

Sir, —Before the Bank of New Zealand began building they provided 7ft for roadwidening. I am amazed that the City Council is now putting in new channelling allowing no extra width for the roadway. On this busy thoroughfare surely the council should do the sensible thing and widen the roadway and, I would suggest, allow for three lanes of traffic going south, or, alternatively, no right-hand turns into Hereford street. With the arcade through the new building it

should not be necessary for much extra width to go into the footpath. Everybody expected the roadway to be widened and it is hard to understand why this is not being done. The City Engineer (Mr P. G. Scoular) is reported as saying that “the whole question of the width of Colombo street is being considered and this study should be completed in a few months.” If this is correct the position is disgraceful as the council has had over two years to plan the “bottleneck” and should have been ready to start immediately the builders were off the site. —Yours, etc, C. H. CLEMENS. April 3, 1967. [The City Engineer (Mr P. G. Scoular) replies: “It has been the counoil’s intention since the widening requirement was first introduced, that at least five feet will be used for widening of the footpath. Colombo street is being studied together with the whole of the city centre. If an extra lane were to be provided, the footpath would necessarily be considerably narrower than it is now.”]