800-MILE MOTOR ROAD

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 290, 7 September 1928, Page 8

800-MILE MOTOR ROAD

HAMBURG TO GENOA. For several yours past a very thorough investigation lias been in progress in Germany with regard to the planning of a road system designed entirely for motor transport. An experimental motor road (with separate up and down tracks) was built some years ago from Berlin to Potsdam, while another—about 20 miles in length—is nearing completion between Cologne and Dusseldorf. Blit the entire scheme is now reported by the “Autocar” to be on a far greater scale, involving the construction of a complete network of these roads, which will eventually cover the whole country. In this network the first road to be constructed under State control will probably be that running from Berlin to Munich, with the idea of its ultimate extension to Koine. It now appears, however, that this project may be anticipated by another equally great scheme for a road destined to link the ports of the Baltic and North seas with the great Mediterranean harbour of Genoa. This road is to be constructed by a public company, known as “Hafraba,” with the support of several municipalities or public authorities interested In the proposed line of the road. In planning this road two main objects have been held in view; the first is to avoid all constructional difficulties likely to enhance the cost of the undertaking; the second to make the road serve as many important industrial and residential centres as possible. In both respects the Ilafraba project succeeds admirably—in so far as the German sector of the road is concerned. From the Baltic port of Lubeck, as well as from the North Sea harbours of Hamburg and Bremen, the selected line runs across the sandy levels of North Germany to Hanover. From that city it follows the valley of the river Seine as far as Gottingen; thence across a low watershed into the valley of the river Weser, along the river Fulda, and so on to Kassel. From that important centre the next stretch leads to Frankfort, over the low hills of Hesse, and from Frankfort the line of the road continues up the level valley floor of. the Rhine to the Swiss frontier. About 75 per cent, of the road to this point will run over dead level ground. It is obvious that the constructional obstacles in this line are negligible. The sum of the whole ascents from the Baltic to Switzerland amount to no more than 2700 ft.—no more than might be encountered in a day’s run from London to the sea and back. No great engineering works would be required, while the number of important towns, either served directly by’ the road or linked thereto by “spurs,” is considerable. Sb far, indeed, the road from Hamburg to Basel offers remarkable advantages, while being a real financial possibility even at the present moment. This sector will undoubtedly be put in hand very soon. The Swiss sector, however, presents a far more difficult problem. It is at present being studied by a Swiss company, modelled after the pattern of the Hafraba and working in unison with that association. The task is not easy, since the whole question turns on the passage of the Alps, and this, of course, opens a very awkward problem. ' It is not generally appreciated that for more than six mouths of the year there is, owing to snow, only a single motor road leading into Italy that is open to motor traffic. This road is that running from Nice to Genoa probably one of the worst and most difficult of the main highways of western Europe. , _ Apart from this one road there are four main highways over the Alps: from east to west there are the Brenner, the St Gotthard, the Simplon and the Mt. Cenis. Each of these carries, in addition, a railway line now used in winter to convey the cars that cannot use the snow-bound road. The Brenner line runs above ground, and is kept clear by snow ploughs; each of the remaining three runs through one or other of the famous Alpine, tunnels. It is obvious then that, failing a road tunnel, the Hamburg-Genoa road will have to rely upon one of the existing railway lines to negotiate the Alps in winter, or even possibly in stormy weather throughout the year. The final selection of the route for the new;road must, therefore, rest between the Brenner, the St. Gotthard and the Simplon. Now the Brenner route lies very far east, and it will almost certainly be used for the extension of the BerlinMunich road to Rome. The field is, therefore, practically’ limited to the St. Gotthard and Simplon lines. There is a variety of reasons why the St. Gotthard should be selected. As the probabUity is that the route Basel-Zurich-St. Gotthard-Como (or Varese) will be adopted, it may be assumed that the Swiss section of the road will cross the Italian frontier to meet an existing Italian “autostrada,” or motor road, which now links the lakes with Milan. The continuation of this road from Milan to Genoa does not offer any insuperable difficulty, although the crossing of the Apennines at the Passo dei Giori and the purchase of the necessary ground to admit the road into the over-built Genoa area may be expensive. The German stretch of the road from Hamburg to Basel would measure roughly 500 miles. It would be laid out with easy curves and banking, so as to admit of continuous road speeds up to 60 in.p.h. All other roads, as well as railways, would be bridged. The width of the road is to be between 25ft. and 30ft., but the necessary ground will be purchased to admit of its ultimate widening of 70ft. There will be a complete system of by-passes and “spurs” by which all centres of population can be either avoided or served. There is to be a comprehensive system of roadside garages and signals. The road will be constructed as a strictly commercial proposition, users of the road being charged a toll corresponding to the length of journey. In fact,, the whole exploitation and management of the road would follow the system adopted on the Italian “autostrade.’' DRUNKEN DRIVERS STRANGE CONTRAST BETWEEN BRITAIN AND NEW ZEALAND. In the two years since the Criminal Justice Act, 1925, came into force in Britain, on June 1, 1926, there' have been 1160 cases before the courts of motorists charged with being drunkwhile in charge of cars. A long article by the Rev. Courtenay C. Weeks. M.R.C.S., L.R.C.P., medical secretary to the National Temperance League, giving an analysis of these and of the views of magistrates and judges on the question, appears in the “New Campaigner.” the official organ of the Tern-

/pcrance Council. A summary of the analysis shows that 74 cases were dismissed entirely; 53 dismissed on the charge of drunkenness but convicted of dangerous driving; 15 discharged on probation or bound over; 124 sentenced to varying terms of imprisonment, and 894 fined. New Zealand had 323 cases in 1927 in which persons were charged with being drunk when in charge of motor vehicles. Either the motorists of Britain must be vastly more sober than those of New Zealand or else the ideas of '‘drunkenness” In the two countries are vastly different. The population of Britain (excluding the Irish Free State) is 44 million, and of New Zealand 1} million. Our motor drunkenness convictions run at over 200 per million of population per annum, and Britain’s at about 13 per million of population per annum! It is a very remarkable difference, but perhaps in Britain they are not so expert in smelling motor drivers’ breaths as here.