ALBERT STREET TRAMS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1038, 31 July 1930, Page 1

ALBERT STREET TRAMS

RE-ROUTING OF CARS AS ALTERNATIVE INCONVENIENCE TO PUBLIC The Transport Board discussed the trams-in-Albert. Street proposal this week in committee but lias not yet decided for or against the scheme. Since the manager, Mr. A. E. Ford first brought down his outline of'the project many months ago, he has been asked by the board to investigate the possibility of more comprehensive use of the existing outlets by way of Anzac Avenue and Hobson Street.

Mr. Ford set about the compilation of a mass of data showing the number of cars which use Queen Street and the other routes named. His researches show that wider use of Anzac Avenue and Hobson Street woulld result in very great complexities, the difficulty being to suit the convenience of the public. The main loading centre of the City of Auckland lies between Customs Street and Wellesley Street and the diversion of cars from their regular running routes has the effect, says Mr. Ford, of annoying and confusing intendig passengers. Taking the case of say, the Dominion Road route, Mr. Ford explains that cars to this district use Queen Street both on the outward and inward journeys. If they were singlerouted to enter the city through Queen Street and to leave by way of Anzac Avenue it v.-ouild mean that people jn-oposing to travel to Dominion Road and embarking, for argument’s sake, at Victoria Street, wouldl have to make the long detour down Queen Street, along Customs Street east and up Anzac Avenue to St. Paul’s corner, instead of the present direct trip via Wellesley Street east. Mr. Ford remarks that the public would have every reason for complaint if this routing were adopted. The same thing obtains on the western routes.

If Dominion Road, or other cars, were routed to quit the city by running up Queen Street and returned via Anzac Avenue, passengers would complain that they were taken too far from their favourite stopping-place, which might be any point between Customs Street and Wellesley Street. The whole difficulty about using Anzac Avenue and Hobson Street, says Mr. Ford, is that both arc too far from the loading centre for the convenience of the people. Albert Street offers a suitable solution, as far as western district cars are concerned.

Mr. Ford says that it is very easy to remove a large number of car trips from Queen Street by single routing, but he is of opinion that the public would be utterly confused by such a plan and would never tolerate the inconvenience.