A DANGER POINT

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 140, 10 December 1926, Page 8

A DANGER POINT

HEAD OF DAY'S BAY WHARF

SUBWAY OR OVERHEAD BRIDGE?

SEVERAL PROPOSALS MADE,

Members of the City and Suburban Highways Board to-day discussed at considerable length means whereby greater safety would be assured boat passengers landing at Day's Bay find crossing to the pavilion, and eventually decided that the pedestrians's subway proposal at this point should in the

meantime not bo proceeded with

If was decided to proceed at once with the paving of the Day's Bay length of roadway to carry-on through Eastbourne, and also to join up tho length of foreshore road from about Gracefield road to the northern end of the existing foreshore pavement. Tho several questions wore brought up by a clause in the engineer's report: "Authority is requested to proceed with the unfinished paving of the existing road along tho eastern waterfrout to Day's Bay. Since the question of a subway at Day's Bay is still in abeyance it is. suggested that the portions of roadway adjacent to the wharf and subway should be surfaced this season in order to eliminate tho heavy maintenance charges now being incurred. ''

AGAINST A SUBWAY.

Mr. D. K. Hoggard (Hutt County Council) urged that the subway proposal should be dropped, as there was almost an unanimous' opinion, among ratepayers and residents of the locality against its construction. They looked forward to the time, probably not very far distant, when the whole area would be remodelled by the construction of a new roadway so as to run behind the pavilion and beach buildings. The best means of removing the danger to pedestrians, in his opinion, was by means of an overhead bridge from the head of tho wharf, for there would be no interference with the roadway and no grades would be created on either side of it, as would be unavoidable in the case of a semi-subway as proposed. He urged that the paving should go right ahead.

The Mayor of Eastbourne (Mr. H. M. Jones) also agreed that the paving should be proceeded with. If there was to be a hold-up of surfacing while the subway question was being further considered, then a sealing coat should be given the short length of road opposite the head of the wharf.

It had been decided at the previous meeting of the board, said the Mayor of Lower Hutt (Mr. W. T. Strand) that a conference of local body and Government representatives should be called to go into the question of constructing a deviation to avoid unnecessary running round the northern (unsurfaced) length of the foreshore road. That conference had been arranged for 17th December, and tho general feeling appeared to be that the bodies concerned were favourably inclined towards the deviation and were quite prepared to shoulder their shares of the cost. While he was not inclined to vote against the paving of that length, he did think that a decision should be deferred until after the conference.

Tho motorists, said Mr. S. G. Nathan, wanted the paving done; it was the economic thing to pave the length in any case.

"CONSIDER THE PEDESTRIAN."

Councillor B. G. H. Burn returned to the subject of the subway at Day's Bay. A great deal of consideration was being given to the motorist, he said, but it was surely the duty of the board' and local bodies to consider the pedestrian as well. The completion of tho bituminous pavement was going to result in tremendously increased traffic to tho Bay.

The motorist, said the Mayor (Mr. Norwood) was every bit as anxious to avoid accidents as was the pedestrian. Something would have to be done very soon to meet the position,'' said Councillor W. H. Bennett, for tho danger to pedestrians, and particularly' to children, was becoming very serious. He wanted more information before he would agree to the turning down of the subway proposal.

Probably, said Mr. Norwood, an overhead bridge would be much less costly than a subway, but though either would bo a means enabling passengers to reach the pavilion safely from the boats, or vice versa, neither would prevent children from running across the road between park and beach. No motorist would think of running through the crowd leaving the wharf, and it was probably at odd and unexpected points along the road that the greater danger existed. The necessity of providing adequate parking space for the hundreds of cars which would run round on holidays and Sundays had also to be considered.

It was all very well to talk of the motorist's interest in the pedestrian, said Councillor Burn, but the fact was that tho pedestrian had every time to give way to the motorist, not the motorist to the pedestrian. Neither subway nor overhead bridge would remove the danger, said Mr. Nathan; sooner or later a remodelling of the road would have to come.

REPORT FROM CITY ENGINEER.

After further discussion, it was decided that a comprehensive report upon the matters raised.should be submitted by the City Engineer, Mr. G. A. Hart, and that in the meantime a x sealing coat should bo given the short length affected. . ■ .

, At the request of the Mayor of Eastbourne, it was also decided to proceed this season with paving through the Eastbourne Borough, which length, though figuring upon the schedule, had been deferred until certain storm 'water drains had been installed. The opinion of the Borough Council, said Mr. Jones, was that though in three, or perhaps five, years the pavement would probably have to be cut for the laying of water mains, it was a more economic proposition to have tho pavement laid at once. The Eastbourne road was now in excellent condition for surfacing.