ROADS, BRIDGES AND RAMPS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 26 January 1939, Page 9

ROADS, BRIDGES AND RAMPS

I l'o The Editori Sir,—l notice a report in your paper ! to the effect that the suggested road | across Rabbit Island will not be pro- i ceeded with, this on the score that it j will not be an economic proposition, j Before one can argue as to the econo- i mic proposition the full particulars as to costs, volume of traffic and other matters in connection therewith must be submitted and as only the bare statement of the Minister’s decision has been published the reader is quite unable to find out whether the proposition is economic or not. Is the ramp over the railway line at Appleby an economic proposition? I understand the cost of this white elephant will be in the vicinity of £7OOO. and as for its utility I may state that I have been driving a car for nearly 20 years and have only been stuck up at the Appleby crossing twice in all that time. With the paltry amount of railway traffic on this line the overhead crossing is quite unnecessary and a scandalous waste of public money. If the cost of this ramp had been put into a new traffic bridge at Appleby we would have had value for our money. The railway ramp is a public scandal because of its being quite unnecessary and a great waste of money. A new traffic bridge at the point indicated is absolutely necessary as every time there is anything like continuous rain in the back country there is a flood over the road approaching the bridge. T’oing back to the question of roads in the central Nelson fruit area, perhaps the Minister of Public Works and the Waimes County Council will now do something to improve the main road between Appleby and Tasman. The Minister knows all about this highway! so does the chairman of the Waimea County Council. Both gentlemen have been over this road and both of them have admitted that it ought to be straightened out, and improved generally. Perhaps now that the Ministerial decision has been given, j the Waimea County and the Governi ment will spend a little money in mak- ! ing our highway a little less dangerous i by straightenting out some of the corners. Those near the Mahana Post Office arc very bad and the way the weeds are allowed to grow many feet high is a disgrace to the Waimea County Council. In the interest of the users of this road I have in the past pleaded i for more consideration from the. Coun- | oil in the way of reducing causes of road accidents. A little has been done and some bad corners have been eased and a few noxious weeds, growing many feet over the road have from I time to time been removed, but there does not seem to be any attempt to do the work of removing gorse and other weeds at regular intervals. These should not be allowed to grow until they become a danger to the road user. By the way, why can’t the Council widen out the road running past Mr Maisey’s orchard? Many people use this road now instead of the one past O'Connor’s creek and if the suggested improvement, i.e., the pass at the top widened and lowered- and a little straightening work carried out, nearly all users would prefer this route.—l am, etc., ARGUS. Mapua, 25th January.