IMPROVED ROADS

Taranaki Daily News, 29 November 1934, Page 16

IMPROVED ROADS

STRIDES MADE IN MANY LANDS.

GERMANY’S NEW POLICY.

"Technically the work of the highway engineers in the Southern Hemisphere can compare very favourably with that abroad, but it is to be regretted that we are so far away from the same intensely travelled countries, for the experience to be gained in such countries is extremely valuable,” said Mr. N. E. Vaughan, bitumen department manager for the Vacuum Oil Proprietary, Ltd., to the Dominion. Mr. Vaughan, who arrived in the Maunganui from Sydney, said the expenditure of sending an engineer to review road construction abroad would be more than compensated by the data collected, and any move to have New Zealand engineers exchange ideas with those in other lands should be encouraged. ’ Road construction and maintenance had made very great advances in America and Canada particularly, Mr. Vaughan said. Surface inequalities and waviness were being eliminated. In England it was almost impossible to find a road, however unimportant, that was not surfaced with bitumen, emulsion or .tar. However, the question of highway safety was becoming a pressing problem—on an average there were 150 persons killed and 5000 injured on the roads of England every day. One method being adopted in England to ease this deathroll was the construction of by-passes—-short lengths of highway which outskirt towns and villages so that through traffic does not traverse areas usually restricted in width and congested with local traffic. The younger countries were obtaining the experience of such older ones in that in the original design and construction of main arterial highways towns were being short-circuited, .but connected thereto by feeder or subsidiary roads, “In Germany,” Mr; Vaughan proceeded, “the National Socialist Party und6r Herr Hitler is entering upon a very progressive road construction policy, partly to assist the unemployment question, but mainly to meet traffic needs to enable more expeditious and more economical transport of people, goods and produce from town to town. The present programme, initiated in September, 1933, provides for the construction of 1300 miles, but this is to be supplemented from year to year. These roads are up to 70 feet in width with up and down tracks separated by a grassgrown, tree-planted strip of about 15foot width. Cross-roads are carried over or under, whereas measures have been taken to prevent ribbon developments and speculation in the adjoining lands. “It was said by prominent engineers who attended the International Road Congress that as a road-building programme it is comparable in magnitude only with the United States, which in the decade 1920-1930 covered that vast territory with a network of modern roads under the Federal Aid Scheme. That these roads were being built for the future need of travelling was pointed out by the German road authorities —the hosts of the delegates to the congress. The authorities are anxious by providing these roads and by greatly reducing the taxes on motor vehicles to increase the number of road users and thus relieve the Reichsbahn (railways) of much unremunerative shortdistance traffic. “Germany is anxious to have her neighbours visit her country, as she realises that tourist traffic is a sound commercial investment. Cars can now be entered into Germany for touring purposes free of tax, whereas many other concessions are advanced by the Government to foster tourist trade. Germany, to the layman visiting her, appears to be a peaceful and law-abiding people, anxious to have outsiders visit her to learn for themselves that she is hard working and eager for peace among all nations. All delegates to the congress unanimously agreed that the hospitality extended by the Government to all the nations represented left nothing to be desired, and was most sincere.” Mr. Vaughan has been investigating the latest developments in road construction and maintenance in America, Canada, Great Britain, and the countries of Europe, where he attended the seventh International Road Congress at Munich, Germany.