BOMBAY DEVIATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20690, 9 October 1930, Page 14

BOMBAY DEVIATION.

COMPLAINT BY MOTORISTS. PROGRESS OF THE WORK. FRANKLIN COUNTY ATTITUDE. "Motorists to-day have to drive their cars across tho same road over the Razorback Hills that General Cameron took his troops over in 1864," said Mr. A. Rosser, at tho annual meeting of the Auckland Automobile Association last evening. "I was up there a month ago and it appears that, no work has been done on the Bombay deviation for some time."

Tho president, Mr. A. Grayson, said work was still in progress on tho Bombay deviation. The deviation was made to get easy grades, but the roads committee of the association considered that in many instances the alignment was bad, and somo of the cornel's would be dangerous. Representations were mado to the Highways Board and it was decided to improve the visibility on the corners. This work was at present in hand and when it was finished the question of the surfacing would arise. It was not fair to expect motorists to bear the whole cost. They were already paying for the earthwork and tho Franklin County Council should pay its proportion of the permanent surfacing. Tho Highways Board had offered the County Council a subsidy of £3 to £l, but the council wanted £4 to £l. Unless tho local authority could be induced to view the matter differently there would bo further delay. Mr. M. H. Wynyard, motorists' representative on the Highways Board, said the board had not an inexhaustible supply of money to do work as quickly as it would wish. The Highways Board was asking the Franklin County Council to contribute £40,000 out of a total of nearly £250,000, which would bo the cost of concreting the doviation and connecting it' at both ends, taking into consideration the amount already spent. The concreting from Papakura to Auckland was done on a much less favourable basis to the local authorities concerned and the Franklin County was deriving a certain amount of benefit from this in respect of regular bus and car services and reduced fares. The amount which the Franklin County was spending on the maintenance of the present highway would have to be increased if the road was to be kept in a fit condition to carry the ever-increasing volume of traffic and it would be a much better proposition if the county would pay its share of the permanent surfacing. NORTH AUCKLAND ROADS. TOPUNI TO KAIWAKA. The stretch of road between Topuni and Kaiwaka on the main northern highway was the subject of unfavourable comment at the annual meeting of tho Auckland Automobile Association last evening. Members expressed tho opinion that it was at present impossible to get through, wet or dry, and that the waste of money and time in railing cars from tho Kaipara Flats to Maungaturoto was pitiful. Mr. M. H. Wynyard, motorists' representative on the Main Highways Board, said it was a question of finances. The break between Topuni and Kaiwaka could not be done at present as an expensive deviation was under consideration and the board had not the money at its disposal. Mr. Wynyard promised to use every endeavour to have some usable connection made on this section before the end of the summer.