ROADS & FOOTPATHS

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 5, 1 October 1929, Page 13

ROADS & FOOTPATHS

ROSENEATH’S NEEDS MONEY RUNNING SHORT District needs were aired by representatives of the Roseneath Municipal Electors’ Association who waited on the Works Committee of the City Council yesterday afternoon. Mr. C. M. Turnbull, of the Crescent, said that two years ago. the residents were promised that the Crescent would be widened and a proper highway provided as far as the fire station. They had heard that the work was about to be done, that a start was to be made immediately, and that money had been allocated for the job, but there was no continuity about it. Last year some work was done in the Crescent as the result of the slip at the head of Grass Street, which had meant the re-estab-lishment of part of the road, but the bottle neck, between Carlton Gore Road and the upper part of Grafton Road remained. This was an important highway between Wellington and the Eastern Suburbs,- which carried an enormous amount of traffic, and yet in parts the road was no more than 12 to 13 feet wide. Although it was a oneway traffic road, there had been quite a number of minor accidents. As many people did not know the rule it was not really in force, and many drivers came down the Crescent at as much as 40 miles an hour. Mr. F. Downes: That is no exaggeration.

Only £4OO Left.

The acting-chairman of the committee (Councillor W. H. Bennett) said that of the amount allocated for the work there were only a few hundreds left, and all he could say was that they would continue the work as lorn; as the money lasted. * Councillor G. Mitchell: What will it cost to complete?

Mr. J. Thompson (engineer): About £2OOO.

Councillor Mitchell: And we’ve only got £400,! Mr. Turnbull: Some of us thought that the slip in the Crescent would come under the category of an act of God, and that the council would get the money from a fund other than the estimates.

Councillor F. Meadowcroft: We wish it were so.

Councillor W. T. Hildreth: It has been said that some motorists travel down the Crescent at 40 miles an hour. I think it is the duty of every citizen to take the number of such cars and report them. During the last month I have reported four cases of motorcycles with ineffective silencers, and they have been fined, too. It’s a duty of every citizen to report those who break the law by becoming a menace to others.

“Atrocious Footpath.” Mr. H. O. Batten complained of the “atrocious state” of the . footpath approach to Nos. 11 to 39, Grafton Road (which front a low-level footpath on the western side of that road). He exhibited photographs, showing the path under water aud mud, and lined with duckboards to allow’ the residents to get out dry shod. Mr. Batten also drew attention to the twenty-year-old wooden breastwork which supported Grafton Road above the sunken trench footpath. “This is sinking in parts, the asphalt is breaking away from the kerb, and it is not impossible that we may find it down in our back-yards yet,” concluded Mr. Batten. The chairman promised that the officers would look into the matter, and the city engineer would report to the committee.

Mr. T. G. Cox mentioned that after doing 200 or 300 yards the work pf reconditioning and widening Maida Vale Road had come to a sudden stop. That was bad enough, but the council workmen had littered up the front of some of the places with, stones, scrub, cement bags, ( and other refuse from their work. He mentioned the need for tracks for milkmen and coalmen from Maida Vale Road to the lower level footpath there,* also broken drains, and other minor matters.

The acting-ehairman said that the stoppage of the work at Maida Vale Road was due to the allocation having been expended. Many of the other things mentioned were matters of maintenance. Those would be investigated by the officers and attended to. With respect to the works requiring large sums of money, he could promise nothing. The unemployment relief allocation had been expended. The matters of clearing up and storm water troubles would receive attention.