Riskiest Road Trips In Christchurch

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31802, 5 October 1968, Page 1

Riskiest Road Trips In Christchurch

Two journeys on which a Christchurch motorist is most likely to be involved in an accident can easily be picked from a pinstudded map in the St John Ambulance Association drivers’ room.

The first is from the Main South Road to New Brighton, by Riecarton Road, Deans Avenue, Moorhouse Avenue, Ferry Road, Aidwins Road, and Pages Road. Along these roads this year there have already been 40 accidents, five of them fatal. The second most dangerous route—only because there have been fewer persons killed —is along Colombo Street, through Cathedral Square, to Victoria Street, Papanui Road and the Main North Road. On this route there have been 46 accidents this year. No suburb can boast an accident-free record. Along Colombo Street, between Moorhouse Avenue and Bealey Avenue, there have been 23 accidents—one at every intersection except Tuam Street. Two of the accidents were fatal. In Cathedral Square there have been four accidents, the majority in the area behind . the Cathedral. A Barbadoes Street, between

the avenues, has been the scene of 18 accidents. The worst intersection was at Worcester Street, where three fatal accidents have occurred. Fitzgerald Avenue, with the section about Hereford Street being the worst, has been the scene of 20 accidents. There have been 13 accidents in Aidwins Road-Pages Road, 10 in Stanmore Road and 12 in Papanui Road, six of them occurring at the Heaton Street-Innes Road intersection. Riecarton Road has had 11 accidents, two of them fatal. The worst stretch of Riccarton Road lies between Waimairi Road and Ham Road where there have been five accidents, one of which was fatal. In all, 20 persons have been killed in road accidents in the Christchurch area this year, compared with 22 for the same period last year. Ambulances have been called to 687 road accidents (681 in 1967), and 930 persons have suffered injury (1108 in 1967). #