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Buses ‘playing chess’

A possible solution to a Christchurch Transport Board bus problem could cause even more problems for Cathedral Square pedestrians and tiles, the City Council’s works and traffic committee was told yesterday.

The board wants the council to allow North Beach buses to use the United Service Hotel turning bay so that they can reach their bus stop more easily. At present, the North Beach bus has to make three difficult turns into busy citycentre streets to reach its stop in the Square. Mr M. G. Taylor, the board’s general manager, said there could be 40 bus movements through the turning bay during a normal week-day under the proposal. It was now “a complicated chess game" to get to the bus stop. From 1973 to 1980, Avon-

side buses had used the turning bay, even though it was not realised those movements were contrary to council by-laws. "Nobody told us." said Mr Taylor. The turning bay is now used by tourist buses. Turning movements by heavy’ vehicles had damaged tiles and made their cleaning difficult, said the streetworks engineer, Mr H. E. Surtees. A new survey showed that in the Square 35 per cent of the bricks were broken, along with 41 per cent of the tiles, within the wheel tracks of heavy vehicles. Repairs; of such damage had already been done five or six times, Mr Surtees said.

That damage was apart from pedestrian problems that would be caused by an increase in turning movements. “which concerns me most of all," he said.

A sub-committee of board and council representatives will consider the request, and also the problem of bus delays in Manchester Street between Armagh Street and Tuam Street. The Transport Board has suggested that traffic congestion during afternoon peak hours could be reduced with a ban on right turns by vehicles at certain Manchester Street intersections. Mr J. Mathison, the board's chairman, said that a survey one Friday showed that buses leaving the Square passed a Manchester StreetCashel Street checkpoint within three minutes on a “slow" day, but it took six minutes to travel the same distance towards Sumner and New Brighton on a busy Friday. . The council, is studying Manchester Street congestion problems partly caused by construction of the City Mall..

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19820708.2.39

Bibliographic details

Press, 8 July 1982, Page 4

Word Count
377

Buses ‘playing chess’ Press, 8 July 1982, Page 4

Buses ‘playing chess’ Press, 8 July 1982, Page 4