THE SHORT CUT

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 87, 7 January 1926, Page 3

THE SHORT CUT

TRAMWAY VIA HILL STREET BIG WORK IN VIEW “Now that it is practically settled that the tramway short cut to Karon and Northland is to proceed via Hill Street the public must accustom itself to witnessing a radical change in the aspect of that quiet thoroughfare,, which runs transversely from Molesworth Street, over a rather steep grade to Tiiiakori Road,” writes W.H.P. “No doubt there are still many who believe that a serious mistake is being made through the decision to desert a practically level crossing by way of i Bowen, Museum, and Sydney Streets, i but it has to be remembered at the I same time that there are difficulties even with that route made by the many corners to negotiate, and also by the grade that leads into '1 inakori Road at the Sydney Street end, difficulties that in the engineering mind, and subsequently in the traffic mind, perhaps exceed those to be confronted in the adoption of the Hill Street route. There is little doubt that the most advantageous route, would be to go straight up Bowen Street, through private propertv, and then by a short tunnel through the northern end of the Svdney Street cemetery—the route which appealed very strongly to the late citv engineer (Mr. W. IT. Alorton). ’ But there are sentimental views to be combated here, and, apart from the heavy cost involved, it has been pointed out that such a tunnel as proposed would be subject to seepage from the cemetery which raises a hvgieiiic objection. It is further contended that the route via Hill Street would not take the trams more than half a minute longer to negotiate than that via Bowen, Museum, and Svdnev Streets, which - in a measure disposes of the notion that the latter route would be very much the quicker. On the latter route there would be four sharp turns (which cannot be taken at full speed), followed by a decided gradient, whereas the Hill Street route only presents one easy curve (from Lambton Quay), and two decided corners. “Then again, looking well ahead, the coming of the big terminal railway station in Bunny Street must be kept steadilv in view, when it comes to the handling of traffic from that busy point of the future and from Bunny Street there is piactically a straight run up Charlotte Street, with an easy curve to the junction of Hill Street with Molesworth Street, which is another argument in favour of the route adopted bv the City Council, and approved by the Karori and Northland . Ratepayers’ Associations (though it has been stated that such approval was only gained by pressure). “Considerable work will be entailed in making Hill Street negotiable for ttams, but possibly the cost of such work would be below the cost of the great amount of special work required for the Sydney Street route. It has been stated that, for a section of Hill Street at all events, the road will have to be lowered in order to ease the grade. This can only be made possible by creating a high level and low level road, the former to be the road as at present, and the latter ‘i road some ten or fifteen feet lower to take the tramway tracks. The high level road would have to be supported by a concrete wall for the distance of the cut, and the latter would be eieated by coming to an arrangement with the Government to assume a strip of land from the northern end of the Parliamentary grounds, which, in turn, will mean a second concrete wall to support the new lower road “The above works make it clear that a short cut to the western suburbs for tramways is' a prettv expensive matter, and, i na way, affords an excuse for the long delav in taking such action, but it had to come sooner or later, and though the building of the two concrete walls, together with the division of Hill Street into two levels, seems likely to involve the city in considerable expense, the cost would certainly not be greater than would be , involved by adopting either of the other two routes mentioned. “Residents of Northland have been able to gauge prettv well the value of bus services to Kelburn, and thence by the cable car to the citv, and much to the surprise of manv it has been found that the time taken bv the residents in reaching home bv that route is, in the average, no quicker than in travelling the distance by trainway. If one could always rely on catching the motoi bus as soon as one got out of the Kelburn cars, and getting away promptly, that might not be the case, but as often as not one just misses the bus, and has to wait at the top of the hill for the next one: and even when the connection is made, the “load" secured docs Lot justify an immediate start, and passengers are often kept waiting in the bus until another car comes up the hill, all of which adds time to the journey via Kelburn.”