TRAMWAY TRAFFIC.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 20057, 21 September 1920, Page 2

TRAMWAY TRAFFIC.

cfrmdim op thi layout. ‘ ■ cm COUNCIL CENSURED.' |reported thl't a i motorist recently narrowly escaped col- i hsiou with a tramp,ar in Oxford Ter- 1 laco Opposite the Clarendon Hotel” t ran a report by the Traffic Committee t ?LA h j? . Tramwaj- Board yesterday, c iJ% * Waß stated the tramcar was t 6 -- th ® wro «g ’ side of the Wad. At t more than one meeting c{ the City t Council the board has beep subject to i criticism from members of the council < on the same matter. The dtomitte© < xl^ re /° re J ninJ,;s . 4 kat a statement from 1 * '*•* tio=l<! ts j ‘'Oxford Terrace at this point is a i ..arrow Wad, and of neoetsitv a t’-aok < ' curving into, if fWm Worcester Street 1 has to lie laid On the .wett side. This < Ws no room for vehicles between l H 56 line In ' March, 1919, the board offered to c£ - operate with the City Council in im- i proving the' position. It was pfopated J dit b ? c 7, ltß P°’- 6s . 4n S' reasonable ’ ui-tance jf the Council could see it- 1 - th ® f *? tpafch opposite the ' W.ott btatue into the roadway. Tint 1 would hay© removed the difficulty. 1 There is not much pedestrian traffic ! along tint footpath, and what there is • 1C r 35 CO - Sl dered, bo easily cater- 1 m f £ f/ / path the edge of the ittii Statue, reserve. The board « £ , d w in improv, ’ mg the clearance for vehicles at Dal- 1 i C , ora&r « « ■ Piect 3 Office and 3 track came : uvj the kerb. The coundil replied ' vv. :i c 6 the matter and < fj:: 6 , v* Ste board ' * ott h 'fdnehs for this cad. : i..u-ica*.o M , end then wrote asking for : tno decision of the council. This letter ' ;.U3 no> acknowledged. A month later 1 tho council's attention was again drawn ' to tho matter, and another request ' made for a decision. Again the board’s letter received no acknowledgment. I ivo veelcs later, still another letter wns sent asking what construction the board must put on tho douucil’s failure to reply, or whether the matter had been overlooked inadvertently. A let. ter was then received oil November 10 1 that the reason for no previous reply that tho matter had been referred to a sub-oommitteo. whoso attention " ouid , a § am drawn to it- In Jamiary, 1920, tho Town Clerk wrote that tho sub-committeeto which the matter had been referred could not see its way to recommend any alterations for uae present. When the rscent loan proposals were being prepared, the board gave much consideration to removing Rio-mu-ton cart from Cathedral Square alto, gother, and using Hereford Street or onsnel Street m conjunction withLichneld Street, hut ultimately decided that : ;[ le A “ ca P an °y of busy central city ttiects by new hnes of tramways should not be undertaken unless it was absouteh necessary. Moreover, the public would not welcome tjie severance of the Kiccarton service from Cathedral square, and it Was not considered that tho congestion in Cathedral Square had r!L?i hj t -° poiut Ivhen such a -hnidri , a tera . tlC> n in public custom should be made. _ In its recent loan lavmt the board is, however, preparing or the tuuo when this condition will A new line will bo nd m Lichfield Street from Oxford S *£?!!? S? ° ml l° Strcet ‘ kiccarton ais will be brought into town bv this mw route, but taken out by the preG . at 3 ' oute m Oxford Terraco. This ■ill reduce the tram traffic in Oxford maco by one-half, but the same diffi•ulty opposite the Clarendon Hotel will •ontmuo unless the council can see its nay to giro more road space at the uest side, the board being william to move back its poles accordingly. ° ' ft aia y. be said that the position would bo improved if the Riccarton curs were brought into town by tho oreten route and out by tho new Lichacid Street track, but this would necessitate them crossing to the west side of at the Bank of New 'OnJand corner, thus adding to the noasulm of congestion which obtains • ,0 now. They would have to turn wck at Luiihold Street again, cutting across the stream of vehicular traffic p Colombo btreet. Such a proposal ould also make the handling of race mins more awkward—a difficulty in Inch motor and other traffic would ,( ive to participate. ¥ also dra ™ utten- <,_ D , P K A b c ] y v° tllo Practice of some m bound New Brighton cars’ pas■mgers being allowed t6 alight in the ■n?A r ®+° f A ho n oadway in Cashfel Street -pposite -the Queen’s Hotel, although he norttr side is abb available for their Mt. If the conbcil s wish in this mater was'observed, there would be no i mo to make a complete change of bars md gates before the next stop at Matif , I ! eacl - led - T lm consequence • ould be that passengers would be able ■ o flight in the middle of tho road jiere also. Indeed, it would bo worse ban at the Queen’s Hotel, because such ; nssengers would be alighting on a nek used by out-bound tramcars. ThN 5 'sition will lie remedied when the new I mnchcßfor Street track is laid, for | inch the authorising construction orI f l ' , n 'V, beo1 l Wlt hheld by the Public I dS T epa + l m ri!' °''; inKn K to objections I ( le City Council. I ‘ T - Cf ’ unGil !' a « also drawn public I Mention to the board’s old-established racticc of stopping ‘ in » bound Summioolstou ears opposite Strange’s istead of on the south side of Manicster Street Prior to the receipt of ■ns complaint the committee had beorc it data respecting stopping-places i general, lira number of cases cars oss intersecting streets before stoiv mg m order that passengers may have ie use of verandahs and other weather rotection, but tb© growth of motor aftc• lenders it necessary for the posion to bo completely reviewed. This | moderation has already commenced. I .r nf A ; !° r n time -, ago , a ’ j° iut commit■o of City Council and Tramwav Board presentattves was sot up to consider a tens of mutual Interest, and the u ni^f tln ? « av . c Promise of good ve- ; ,U : Th t oomnnttcc therefore remits i»t on two occasions since th?n°tlic mucil has taken public action rcJpect. ig tramway matters instead'of'“Stu. tor the consideration by that joint nmmittco. Tbo • ant iUe 13031 cl s committee ould welcome any movenK-nf i.-r; ' voukl enable both bodies natters of mutual' intern?, b o, 5 ilete success m this matter wqul'd oi v io secured il'lbfe"council‘ithheid m!bio decisions and criticisms until mint committee bad had iui onportuniti ’ thfe 1 eStine 0 4ifr°ih! ■omm.Uco rd raids from deali i‘i Jff r^.3™ by tho joint committee mentioned” Ibc report was adopted.