CITY’S PEAK TRAFFIC POINT

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 272, 13 August 1938, Page 13

CITY’S PEAK TRAFFIC POINT

Wakefield Street-J envois

Quay Junction

TIME PEAK 4.30 P.M. TO 6 P.M.

Probably few people in Wellington nor actually connected with the control of traffic would be able to guess the peak point of traffic in tiie city. The time when tiie city streets are carrying the heaviest, traffic is between 4.30 "p.m. and 0 p.m. There are the midday peaks, but these are not comparable with the evening load, occasioned, of course, by the addition to vehicles still engaged on the work of the day of thpse who are hurrying back to thCTr business bases, garages, and homes.

Interviewed yesterday on the progress of the installation of automatic light signals for mid-city Mr. L. S. Drake, chief traffic officer, said that plans were being prepared for automatic light signals for the junction of Wakefield Street with Taranaki Street and Jervois Quay. When asked about the Cuba Street-Alanners Street junction, Air. Drake said he feared that there would not be enough money to attend to that junction this year, but he hoped to see the Wakefield StreetJervois Quay junction attended to this financial year.

When surprise was expressed that the Wakefield Street job should precede the Cuba Street-Alanners Street one. Air. Drake said that the points of heaviest traffic should take preference, and the Wakefield Street junction was now the heaviest traffic point in the city at peak hours. “Between 4.30 p.m. and 6 p.m., 3500 motor-vehicles pass through this junction,” said Air. Drake. “To give you an idea of what that means, the city engineer. Air. K. E. Luke, when he returned from Sydney, quoted one busy junction in Sydney, mentioning that 2500 vehicles passed through between 4.30 p.m. and G p.m., and was surprised when I told him our tally for the Wakefield Street junction. Of course, we have had a man in charge there for over a year, but the light signals are wanted there. It is becoming more and more apparent that Jervois Quay is going to carry tremendous traffic in the future.

“What is going to make a difference in a few months,” said Air. Drake, “will be the completion of the ramp at Thcrndon, and the repaving of Waterloo Quay. That is going to throw additional traffic away from the retail trade route on to the back road, and so via Jervois Quay to Wellington central and south. The ramp will be finished in a month, so it will not be very long before this important change in traffic routes will, become effective.”