TRAFFIC ROUTES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19377, 12 July 1926, Page 7

TRAFFIC ROUTES.

Sir,—Auckland is a young and growing city. Therefore, steps that may now be taken to relievo the traffic problem must not bo too expensive, but must be carried out gradually, and without too seriously draining finances. Mr. Gentles' tunnelling schemes are, I think, too ambitious and costly. Tho following are my views on tho subject. I will begin by taking the most congested places, which are: Queen Street and its intersections; Grafton Bridge corner; the junction of Symonds Street and Khyber Pass; the corner of Pitt Street and' KTarangahape Road;. and Broadway, Newmarket., Tne simplest method of relieving the congestion at tho Symonds Street corners is the regrading and widening of Belgium Street and Exmouth Street, and the construction of a road to connect these two. If this does not relieve the Grafton Bridge corner sufficiently, a traffic circus could bo constructed. . The next step would bo tho carrying out of Mr. Gentles' idea of connecting East Street and Carlton Gore Boad. Regarding Pitt Street, the construction of a road between the top of Grey Street and the corne,r of Day Street and Beresford Street, the widening of Day Street and the making of a connection to Jjopetoun Street would make a grand traffic outlet. The Broadway could be overcome by the construction of a new street in a straight line from xhs corner of Khyber Pass and Crowhurst Street to the junction of Gillies Avenue and Morrow Street, thence in a straight line tc Broadway, at the corner of Mortimer Pass. This could be done at no great cost as the proposed street traverses mostly vacant sections, and most of Mortimer Pass coulu be closed and sold for building sites. ISow we come to Queen Street. The tram traffic hero could be reduced bv half if the trams were run on the inward journey via Queen Street, and out >y other route, and by keeping tbo Western trams out of the lower part of Queen bv the laying of & track in Street' between Wellesley Street a torn Street. Dominion Road and Edendale trams could with the savl "£ fance bv tho Belgium Street route ru , Wn Queen Street and ous via Street This latter innovation would rettaoig rsr' mm