TRAFFIC OUTLETS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20827, 20 March 1931, Page 13

TRAFFIC OUTLETS.

AN ORGANISED CENSUS.

MEETING FUTURE NEEDS.

INTERIM REPORT TO COONCIIi,

An interim report on the comprehensive survey of all traffic movements that is being carried out with a view to furnishing a complete report on the provision of. traffic outlets for the futuro was made to the City Council last evening by the city, engineer, Mr. J. Tyler. The work, the chief of which is a, traffic census, was commenced in November last. In order to ascertain the volume, direction and classification of all vehicular trkffic tallies were kept at 55 intersections, involving the counting of over a third of a million vehicles. The tallies for all those points had been analysed and recorded graphically. Independent counts had also been taken over half-hour periods at four % of the busiest intersections at the outgoing peaks. All tho necessary data concerning traffic accidents occurring within the metropolitan area during the last three years had been extracted from the police files. A series of observations to ascer* tain the usage and dimensions of motorcars and commercial vehicles had been carried out. Change in Traffic Routes. Already therp was abundant evidence, stated the report, that where in the past wide streets had been constructed and wero now costly to maintain, it had been found that owing to the small voluirfe of traffic using them, much narrower streets would have sufficed. ■ Further, the interests of tho city area were so bound up with those of the metropolitan area, which had been considered as all that territory which lay within a radius of 13 miles from the chief post office, that in order to gauge accurately future requirements of traffic outlets within the city, it was important to deal with the problem on a metropolitan basis. From the data already to hand, the engineer stated, there appeared no immediate necessity for undertaking large capital works for the f relief of traffic congestion so far as major outlet schemes were concerned. Mr. Tyler suggested that there should be census of traffic in about a year for comparative consideration before making a decision regarding major schemes. Problem at Intersections. Those streets which were to-day carrying the greatest volume of traffic were capable of dealing with a greater volume before actual congestion took place. The opening of' the Waterfront Road would also affect the position. Mr. Tyler recommended that attention should be given firstly to the consideration of local relief for more important intersections, some of which were approaching satura • tion point in regard to the' flow of traffic in one direction at peak time. The total traffic entering and leaving the city from and to the easterly and south-easterly direction during one day of 13 hours was 20,260 vehicles. Through the Grafton Bridge intersection, the heaviest used in the city, the census revealed that a total of 1234 vehicles passed during the busiest half-hour-'in tlie outgoing peak. Of. these 403 vehicles, 'excluding trams, traversed the heaviest travelled lane at an average flow of 24.4 vehicles a minute while the lane was open to traffic.