“THE BETTER ’OLE ”

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11684, 23 November 1923, Page 5

“THE BETTER ’OLE ”

MT. VICTORIA TUNNEL HATAITAI MUNICIPAL ELECTORS’ ASSOCIATION BUSY. CIVIC LEAGUE’S ASSISTANCE. ANOTHER ROUTE ADVOCATED. Of all the interests and organisations winch have interested themselves ir. tho eastern suburb tunnel route through Mt. Victoria, probably the most active in opposition to the Ellice street route adopted by the City Council, has been the Hataitai Municipal Electors’ Association. This body advanced its campaign a further stage when a deputation from it waited upon a special meeting of the council of tho Wei lington Civic League last night to solicit its assistance in urging the council to reconsider its decision, as regards EUioe street, and to push on immediately wirli a construction policy along a suitable route. “FIGHTING FOR TEN YEARS.”

On behalf of the deputation, Mr A. E. Batt said that his associatioTi had been fighting this; matter for the last ten years, and had a. very thorough knowledge of the subject. The association had said all along that the piesent tunnel was in the wrong place and quite inadequate to tho needs of the place. There-was need for an up-to-date traffic tunnel piercing the hill at the proper point. It was their duty -to impress upon the Oity Council that the ratepayers were no longer prepared to put up with the present management to which they were' being subjected. There was a great future before the eastern suburbs, which, if proper transport facilities were provided, could be made into a busy manufacturing centre, while it was also certain that as a residential centre there was a big future before the district. “PERPETUATING PRESENT EVIL.” The engineer had said that lie bo. lieved that that there would be a tremendous amount of traffic through the tunnel, but in spite of this, lie had designed a tunnel which was only perpetuating the present evil. It was only 27 feet odd wide and vehicular traffic would have to either precede the trams, or follow them, which would make it impossible to run a regular tram service, or to carry a reasonable amount or vehicular traffic. If tbo tunnel were constructed according to tho present plan, it would be obsolete from., the day it was opened. Further, the Hataitai association did not qgree that the proposed tunnel was Ming put in the right place. Ellice street was not the proper place for such a tunnel. The whole tiling was due to the fact that the new acting city engineer had imagined in his mind an Appian way, east and west, joining Karori with Miramar. TREND OF TRAFFIC. He was maintaining that the flow of traffic was going to be east and west, whereas it was perfectly evident that tho natural trend of the traffic was north and south. The engineer had published a plan of the proposed route, in which no corners were shown, but only winding bends, hut this was a misconception on the part of the engineer. What they needed' more than anything else was straight dealing on the part of the council. The time had therefore arrived when the Civic League, representing all the rateSayers of the city, took a stand and emanded straightforward dealing from the council. THE COST? So far they had no knowledge what the copiplete cost of the tunnel and auxiliary works was likely to be. It was five years ago that £167,500 had been authorised for tho tunnel, but after preparing and publishing their plan, the council had let the thing lie dormant again. They must have known that there would have been a strong protest against the Ellice street route, and that lie believed; was the reason they had chosen it, in the hope that no definite action would be demanded of them. The present scheme was providing for an 'BO feet highway on one side of Ellice street, 60 feet on the other side, but in Ellice street itself there was a 47 feet. road only, out of which footpaths would be . cut. ■ It was absurd to 'have wide highways at- both ends and a hot tie-neck section in the middle. THE ROUTE ADVOCATED.

The route which the association had pinned its colours to was that starting from Elizabeth street, crossing diagonally over the residential block into Queen street, thence across Austin street, and so up, in a bold sweep, to the point of entry to the tunnel. This would provide a lower grade than the proposed Ellice street route, not more than one in twenty-five, while the amount of compensation which would have to be paid for the land taken would not be more than £2ojooo. They had had the approval of eminent engineers for their plan, and they were entitled to have it considered by the City Council. He asked that the. league take the matter up, appoint perhaps a small committee, and' go into'the question in detail,. preparing a case for submission to the City Council which would compel attention. In answer to a auestion. Mr Batt said that the route they advocated was chains shorter than, any other proposed route. It would pass under the present Pirie street tunnel, emerging some 50 vards north of it, and at the actual point where it was proposed that the Ellice street tunnel wcnld come. The total length of the tunnel would he about half a mile. If they had double tram tracks through the tunnel it would require to be 40 to 42 feet wide, but there was an alternative by which there would he a one-way tram track through tho new and tho old Pirie street tunnel, a thing which was possible, seeing that the present starting and finishing points of the tunnels would be close together. By this means the new tunnel could be made narrower than 40 feet. RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL. Mr D. J. McEwan moved the following motion: “That this meeting of the ‘Wellington Civic League having heard very full representations from Eastern Suburbs residents relative to the proposed new tunnel to the eastern suburbs, respectfully but very strongly urges upon the Oity Council to consider the plan submitted at this meeting, and that as the route proposed up Ellice street will apparently result in a bottle neck being created which Would congest traffic, the council supply a full report to the citizens on the whole matter including details of costs; also that tho City Council Committee in charge lie asked to allow a full hearing on this largo city work from a committee ui he appointed by this league.” In speaking to it, he si-d that his sympathies were entirely with Mr.Batt, because it was quite impossible for the

Ellice street route to adequately serve the needs of tho city and the eastern suburbs. Mr A C. Blake seconded the motion, saying that one of the most important matters in connection with this matter was tho grade. This did not seem to have been gone into by the City Council, which had appointed three men to go into the question of routes, but had never discussed the thing in open council.

Mr Stewart Wilson said that the question was a tremendously important one, and if they could not get satisfaction from the council, the league should raise funds to got the very best engineering opinion on the matter in order that no stone be left unturned to see that the best route was adopted. The motion was carried unanimously.