Accident brings call to check intersection

Press, 17 June 1982, Page 6

Accident brings call to check intersection

An' accident involving injury at the uncontrolled High Street-Tuam Street intersection yesterday has . led to a renewed call from, businessmen in the area for.: early Christchurch City'Coiiricil action?

A young motor-cyclist was injured when his machine and a car collided at'the intersection, near the High Street Post Office.

Some shopkeepers want the council to provide at least a temporary warning, such as Give Way signs, until the intersection is improved. Mr M. L. Gadd, the city traffic engineer, said yesterday that he would not rule out interim measures, but permanent improvements could be completed before the end of this year if the City Council approved a package of city-centre traffic proposals that would be

ready soon. The High Street-Tuam Street part of the package was likely to call for reduc-

ing the intersection width and making the obligations of motorists .“J Improvement proposals : would, include-ideassfor Manchester J Street, , Gloucester. Street, and Oxfordi'Terrace. Mr Gadd said. Several intersection changes would , be recommended after ■ newtraffic patterns caused by the City Mali-, had been studied.

. “I think it is timely to propose a plan for the whole of the city, centre, but principally for High Street and Manchester Street,” Mr Gadd said.

The council placed $lOO,OOO on this year’s estimates for intersection improvements, compared to actual spending last year of $88,521. ■ Mr Gadd said - that his engineers had been working on the city centre package

for about a month, with their other projects. His study., of control signs led him to believe that they did not , actually .make a situation ? any safer; and reduce accidents' mainly? because. of who ignored Give Way and Stop signs. ■ ■ > / ~

He was “quite sure" that council plans for the High Street-Tuam Street intersection would remove the danger there. Traffic had increased in Tuam Street, and decreased in High Street. However motorists still considered High Street to be a main thoroughfare to the city centre.

Part of the intersection’s problem was caused by High Street traffic failing to give way to vehicles coming on an angle from Tuam Street.