Accidents in Chch centre drop about 60 p.c.

Press, 1 August 1986, Page 5

Accidents in Chch centre drop about 60 p.c.

Accidents in central Christchurch have dropped about 60 per cent since the 19605.

The city’s traffic engineers claim the $lB2 million in savings is largely the result of their traffic management plan. The average inner-city accident figure for the early 1980 s was 232, with a peak in 1985 of 251.

For the 1965-66 year the accident total in the city centre was 600. The whole city average for 1980-85 was 956, for 1963-70, 1244. The figures come from pin maps kept by the Christchurch City Council and records kept by the Ministry of Transport. On the assumption that the number of personal injuries is roughly 1.25

times the number of injury accidents (verified by 1960 s figures), 368 accidents converts to about 460 personal injuries, including deaths.

Since 1973 the total number of injuries prevented in the whole City Council area would be about 5980 from 4784 accidents. That would include about 100 deaths. On the present estimated costs of an injury accident of $38,000 the savings to the community in the last 13 years would be about $lB2 million. The council’s traffic staff say, however, that the cause and effect relationships behind the figures are complicated and could be misinterpreted. The total Christchurch reduction in accidents is on a par with the

national average. Traffic lights, the wearing of seat belts, and other factors also influenced figures. Die traffic plan report’s aim is to review central city transport planning and assess results over the last 25 years. The report examines the social, economic and environmental objectives which have underpinned planning. The deputy general manager (works), Mr Harold Surtees, is pleased with the plan’s achievements.

He told works and town-planning councillors yesterday that expenditure to date on the comprehensive plan had been modest, limited almost completely to property purchase. Although traffic had in-

creased on the one-way streets, it had reduced in the central city and allowed priority to be given to pedestrians. By reorganising traffic flows the council had made available more than four hectares of open land in the city’s centre. That was twice the space in Latimer Square. The result was an attractive and socially active city centre, Mr Surtees said.

He asked that the plan be revised and published so that people could have a better understanding of planning in the city centre. The committee endorsed that

The present plan was a sound base for future planning. Its main objectives were still sound.