DIVIDED INTERESTS

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 58, 9 March 1928, Page 10

DIVIDED INTERESTS

DAY'S BAY'S HURDLE IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED TWO DOUBTFUL STREAMS Hope deferred maketli the heart sick, .and that is about the effect upon those many thousands of visitors to Day's Bay when they think . upon plans and more plans for beach improvement, footpaths I about the wharf, and. along the frontage of tie pavilion grounds, and that subway, or overhead way, which is going (or is not going, if it is never built) to reduce some of the risks that people, and especially children, run when crossing from the beach to the pavilion. . Many city people, look upon Day's Bay as part of the city, but it is not, and neither is it a part of the Eastbourne Borough. Day's Bay is part of the Hutt County, roads, beach, residential areas, but the pavilion and grounds and the bush reserve behind them are city property. Over the pavilion and park the city has control, over the rest of the bay none at all. The City and Suburban Highways Board also comes into the picture in so far aa the main road is concerned. The Eastbourno Borough Council is considerably interested in this city park, for its boats and buses carry many thousands to the Bay, but Day's Bay does not otherwise concern Eastbourne. The result of the peculiar position is that though everyone concerned may admit that: improvements are needed those improvement's' are not necessarily carried out. For instance, car traffic on a fine Sunday or a holiday pre- | sents a very real problem, particularly at the head of the wharf and about the pavilion. If there is need for traffic control anywhere about Wellington it is there on fine Sundays, but there is' none. For a time the custodian (Mr. W. Dick) undertook the work and managed to straighten things out somewhat, but actually he probably had no real authority (though fortunately the average motorist has too much sense to be a stickler in that regard, until, of course, trouble arises, just when real authority is! required), and he also found that his other work was getting behind. The road lies within the Hutt County, and it is likewise a City and Suburban road—which body might be expected to provide control? Anyhow neither does so. In the long run it will probably come down to the detailing of a city traffic officer for a triflo of extra duty; By great good fortune the absenco of this control this year has not been attended by a series of nasty accidents. Wellingtdn motorists are good drivers, and Wellington youngsters are expert dodgers, but sometime one of them will dodge the wrong way. NOTHING DONE YET. It must bo a couple of years since a subway was mentioned as an urgent necessity to remove the danger from crossing the roadway to and from the pavilion. How the years do fly with ho subway to show for them! The first idea was that visitors to the Bay should be able to walk from the beach just past the wharf hoad to tho pavilion grounds—the main gates were to bo shifted—underneath the motor road; then an alteration was suggested that an overbridge . should be built, that visitors could go overhead. Several times the proposal was before tho City and Suburban Highways Board in one form, or another, but whose road is it, whoso beach, and whose park, moreover, whoso people? And so nothing was done, except that a length of roadway was left unpaved near the wharf head and later was surfaced in temporary sealing. . Again on the beach he result of a double interest, rather than control, is manifest in the condition of the .two small streams which wander through the sand and are mucli boloved by most youngsters who go over tr the bay. The City Council would like to see thoso streams culverted or piped well into^the sea; but they are not the City Council's streams, nor does tho City Council collect rates from tho properties, much of,the drainage from which runs into one or other of th so streams. Where ignorance is bliss it is perhaps a sham© to make known unpleasant facts, but it is a fact that a considerable, number of septic taLks drain into one of these streams,"as well as other household drainage. It is claimed that the effluent from a septic tank in proper working order is quite harmless, but a tank may go out of order, iv which ease children paddling about may not be improved in. general health. It is understood that the figure stated as the cost of culverting i 3 not particularly heavy, but once again tho sticking point appears to bo which, or whether both bodies concerned should pay. Ono stream as a rule runs clear enough, th© other has an olive green complexion and occasionally a perfume of its own. FOOTPATH AND CAR PARK. Along the frontage of the pavilion is an ancient wooden fence, backed by macrocarpa trees, but flanked by no footpath. The fashion of boarding up public places is changed, and.the idea is rather to let people see what is inside—which, incidentally, brings about a brightening up of what is inside— and the probability is that this fence will go. Some sort of a barrier will bo essential, otherwise children, racing from the pavilion grounds, would meet trouble on the'roadway, and probably it will take the form of a.rock wall, two or three feet high, high enough to stop blind racing from the grounds to the road, and placed behind the row of trees at a sufficient distance- to provide a promenade. Something will soon have to be done to provide motor parks at Day's Bay. At present they line both sides of the main road and pack-up in side streets, on private property, or wherever else they can. Next year, because there will.l bo still more cars, the parking difficulty will be worse again, unless some way out can be found. There is a possibility in a triangle, of land at the north end of the pavilion grounds. Just now this patch is very unoven and carries a growth of scrubby pines. If it were levelled off and cleared space would be provided for from 100 to 150 oars according to a rough survey,which has been made. This land is city property, and seemingly there is no great obstacle in the way, except the same old trouble, Finance, with a large F. Possibly the park could be made to pay for itself quite well, but it would have to be more than a plain paddock, otherwise the frontage would be made even more unattractive thaii it is at present. Day's Bay is unique in New Zealand in several respects: it is a city property in bush surroundings; it is a pleasant place to get to, whether by car, boat, or bus; it is a safe bay, with warmer water than in the open bays; it has no sand nuisance; there is little, wind, and it is already much better equipped than any of the other bays, though tho accommodation for bathers heeds improvement; there arc walks and tennis after bathing. Day's Bay could very easily be made a shoiih b*ay of the very first class, one of the best 'in the Dominion, but- it is not yet is that class by-a good many long stepi i