The Press WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14, 1974. Noise, fumes, and motorways

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33612, 14 August 1974, Page 14

The Press WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 14, 1974. Noise, fumes, and motorways

The mounting protest against heavy trucks passing through residential and suburban shopping areas is a reminder that Christchurch’s traffic problems will not be solved by even the most efficient management of vehicles on existing streets but only by building a motorway system. Two distinct problems must be solved: how to get people who work in the city in and out of town each day without causing intolerable congestion in the inner city, and how to get heavy trucks and other through traffic around the city or to their destinations in the industrial areas and to do so while inconveniencing the city’s residents as little as possible. At the same time thousands of vehicles must make an infinite variety of journeys that touch only here and there on main routes. Motorways designed to enable commuters to travel to work by private car have created, in other countries, more problems than they have solved. If no restraint is to be put on the peripheral growth of the city it is folly to build motorways or improve existing roads that will merely funnel more and more cars into the inner area. Every attraction that public passenger transport can offer should be encouraged as an alternative to private vehicles. The main, discernible flows of vehicles within the city must be channelled efficiently into streets that are suitable for them. But motorways designed to keep heavy traffic, and through traffic of all kinds, off the residential and retail streets will make Christchurch a pleasanter city in which to live. Much of the controversy which has surrounded the plans to build motorways in Christchurch might have been avoided if it had been seen clearly from the outset that the system was designed to this end. Motorways needed to ensure that existing streets are left for local use cannot be built without some disruption. The St Albans section of the northern motorway has been criticised on the grounds that too many homeowners would be displaced by its construction. Individuals can be adequately compensated: and the cost would be worth while if residential streets, and the main suburban roads are kept as free as possible from the noise, fumes, vibration, and general obstruction of heavy traffic. Early this month the City Engineer’s office, commenting on a complaint made to *" The Press ”, said: “ Any policy of diverting traffic from primary roads ” to back streets would probably be more unpopular ** than the present one ”. No other suitable roads were available for the traffic complained of, said the spokesman, who did not proceed to recommend the building of motorways. But his observations left little choice

The alternative to building such a system of motorways is the piecemeal widening of existing roads so that they can carry more traffic. This will provide, at best, temporary relief from congestion, no relief at all from the other nui r nces. and is likelv in the long run to mean more destruction and to disturb more residents than the building of the new motorways along carefully selected lines. The City Engineer’s and City Health Inspector’s departments will soon report how the problems of noise and fumes caused bv trucks using the city’s streets can be alleviated. The problems will only be solved when Christchurch has a motorwav system designed to keep heavy trucks off the city’s streets altogether.