EASTERN ACCESS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 26, 30 July 1938, Page 11

EASTERN ACCESS

RUAHINE STREET PLAN

OPPOSED BY RATEPAYERS

ADDED DANGERS

In the opinion of the executive of the Wellington Ratepayers' Association the proposal to continue Ruahine Street through to Wellington Road is no solution of the problem of improving the approach to the Mount Victoria traffic tunnel from the eastern side. The executive of the association considers that to force traffic uphill in Wellington Road to Crawford Road would result in added road dangers, and favours the construction of the first section of the diagonal route recommended by the 1928 Access Commission as a first step iqwards the full diagonal road. The following statement of the views of members expressed at a meeting held during the week was issued by the association today:—

Members were of opinion that the suggestion which had been made to extend Ruahine Street to Wellington Road was an ill-considered one, on the ground that car owners would be forced, by such a scheme, to use a route which would never be a natural choice of motorists if any other possible right-of-way were available. It was claimed by members of the association that the junction of Wellington Road was, even under normal traffic conditions, extremely dangerous for night traffic as the bend of Wellington Road at the junction was at such an angle that traffic coming up Wellington Road ran, in its natural course, head on to the line of traffic coming from Constable Street. .

It was also to be borne in mind that even given a safe turn to the left into Crawford Road—which could not be made with safety while heavily increased Exhibition traffic was coining up or down Crawford Road—the motorist had still to negotiate the .long stretch of Crawford Road. _ At normal times this length could not be • considered one of the best; and here again, with Exhibition trams having a "right of way" the route would present a considerable hazard. OUT OF THE QUESTION. On all counts, the Ruahine StreetWellington Road-Crawford Road route appeared to members to be right out of the question, and one which the Wellington Ratepayers' Association might fairly claim to oppose as being a waste of ratepayers' money. It was suggested that were the first section of the proposed diagonal road from Ruahine Street to , Moxham Avenue, across what is known as the Chinaman's garden, carried out in time for the Exhibition, it.would be a good work, in that it would by-pass the traffic from a very congested portion of Moxham Avenue traversed by trams, for this section is now too narrow for trams and motor; traffic. Traffic is continually slowed up and often stopped even in! normal times; what would it be during the Exhibition period? It has also been suggested that the full-length of the diagonal road, from Ruahine Street to the corner of Kilbirnie Crescent and Wellington Road, would make things better still, but there is some doubt as to whether the whole length could be finished by November of next year. If this be so, it would appear that the interests of the citizens as a whole, and certainly of ratepayers who have to find the money, could best be served by finishing without delay the first and smaller section of the diagonal road which was proposed by the Access Commission. In making this statement to the Press the sole objective tof the Wellington Ratepayers' Association is to. support "The Post" and other opinion, in the very strong and almost unanimous objection to any scheme having in view the forcing of traffic up the hill and down again along Crawford Road.