TREES IN STREETS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21547, 28 October 1944, Page 6

TREES IN STREETS

PROBLEM OF LIGHTING POWER BOARD POLICY COUNCIL CO-OPERATION The roadside planting of trees, especially tnose capable of gro.vi.ig to substantial size, will raise special street-lighting problems in tne course of a few years, stated the engineer to the Poverty Bay Electric-Power Board, Mr. F, Matthewson, at yesterday’s meeting of the board, streets planted down the centre, as in the case of Peel street, represent no problem in regard to street lighting, on the other hand, and the standard recommended practice in other countries favours centre-line planting for this and other reasons. The meeting was dealing with a

letter from the Gisborne Borough Council, which requested that, pending the installation of underground cables for electrical reticulation, the board should endeavour to detour its lines rather than insist upon the removal of well-established trees.

The engineer, reporting upon this request, stated that there was no early prospect of the installation of underground cables, except in very special circumstances affecting the business area of Gisborne. The prospect was, on the contrary, that there would be extensions of the overhead cable system throughout the reticulated area. It was not practicable to divert lines from section to section, and it was obvious that some trees would be affected by future extensions of lines. The planting of trees that might, in a few years, come into conflict with power lines should be discouraged if possible. The conditions in Grey street were referred to by Mr. Matthewson. as providing an example of a street in which lighting was complicated by tail-grown trees. The roadside planting had produced growth that now nearly met over the bitumen, and it was very difficult to provide efficient lighting of the roadway. Peel street, planted down the centre-line, offered no such difficulties. The board decided that the council be replied to in .the terms of the engineer’s report, and offering cooperation to the council in connection with the laying out of future reticulation lines. Mr. G. D. Mub’head suggested that it the board advised the council of its future proposals for erecting fines, the council, in turn, should consult the board when proposing anv planting programmes.