Road progress review

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32678, 6 August 1971, Page 10

Road progress review

The quadrenial national roading symposium will be held this year at Victoria University, Wellington. A wide range of subjects has been put forward for discussion. Urban planning and transportation, the economic appraisal of highway projects, the effects of heavy ■loads on highways, computer techniques for roading work, 'the planning and effects of traffic signals and factors in accidents will be among topics of the meeting from August 17 to 19. More than 300 will attend, including experts from the United States, South . Africa 'and Australia. The Minister of Works (Mr AUen) will ■ open the symposium.

The keynote will be putting theory into practice rather than a discussion of new theories. The symposium will take a critical look at the progress made in putting into effect the knowledge gained at the 1967 symposium.

Private, local-body and Government engineers, geologists, town-planners and road builders, as well as road users, will be among those presenting papers. Mass transportation

One study, of particular interest in these days of deficit-ridden public transport systems will be that to be presented by Dr A. G. R. Bullen, associate professor of environmental systems engineering and director of a mass-transport research and training programme at the University of Pittsburgh. He

will discuss masstransportation problems. Dr Bullen was born at Petone, graduated at the University of Canterbury and worked for the Ministry of Transport before going to the United States. Another paper of wide interest will be from Dr B. B. Grimmond, visiting lecturer in the department of preventive and social medicine at the University Of Otago, and senior police surgeon at Dunedin. He will discuss the human factor in road accidents.

The symposium had been organised by the Road Research Unit, which represents counties, consultants, contractors, municipalities, universities and the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Transport, on behalf of the National Roads Board.