“Valuable report should be read"

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33062, 1 November 1972, Page 18

“Valuable report should be read"

When a report by the Director of Planning (Mr C. B. Millar) on land uses and their effects on traffic service levels was received by the Christchurch Regional Planning Authority yesterday, Mr R. C. Neville said he hoped it would be read by those concerned in applying its prescriptions.

The 14-page report, with maps, dealt with “the segregation of conflict between major flows of traffic, other road users and local traffic by the introduction of a hierarchy of roads and a hierarchy of places throughout the region.” Mr Millar quoted figures to show that accidents, delays to both vehicles and pedestrians, noise, nuisance to residents, and costs rose as the level of service — the ability of roads to cope with the various demands put on them — fell away with traffic congestion. He advocated planning control to prevent building sprawl and commercial development and other land uses which tend to restrict the level of service, and said that roads in the inner city and 20 miles of inner suburban roads were operating at levels of service less than those agreed to in the district planinng scheme. “Failing in duty” “The authority would be failing in its duty if it did not take steps to see that this report is read,” said Mr Neville. “It has been circulated among us, and not many have read it, I suggest, because it is too long. “It will go to the Ministry of Works, where it will be ‘filed,’ and to the councils, where it may or may not be read ... as to primary, regional, and arterial roads, no-

body has a clue what the difference is. “Whether we can encourage more people to read the report, I don’t know, but it represents a lot of work and is valuable. We’ve always complained about our public relations—people don’t know what the authority is doing, or why.” The chairman (Mr D. B. Rich) said he had every confidence that members of the authority would “do their homework and interpret this report back to their organisations.” "There is a great deal of meat in this report, but some of it needs more digestion,” said the City Engineer (Mr P. G. Scoular). “One thing sticks out strongly — the standard of service of roads is of significance economically, and from the accident point of view. “We hear a good deal about the responsibility of the individual for road accidents, but this report shows the responsibility of the local authorities to provide roads to adequate standards.” Effect on people The report talked a great deal about traffic movement and service levels, but not much about the effect on people living alongside such roads, said Mr Miles Warren. Mr Rich said that the master transport plan was based on levels of service and the need to maintain them. As this was the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the plan, it was good to have a look at matters which, in an insidious way, could affect levels of service. The report was referred to member councils with a recommendation that they take steps to embody its findings in their district schemes.