FIETY MILES AN HOUR

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 123, 26 May 1936, Page 8

FIETY MILES AN HOUR

MOTORISTS ON CURVES PROBLEMS FOR ENGINEERS OBSERVATIONS IN AUSTRALIA [ Per Press Association. ] WELLINGTON, May 25. A higher rate of mechanisation was absolutely essential for the further development of New Zealand’s roads. Hand methods would have to be abandoned, indicating the necessity for larger and more powerful local bodies, said Mr. H. F. Toogood, a well-known Wellington civil engineer, to-night on his return from a “busman’s holiday” of eight weeks in Australia. Mr. Toogood travelled 2500 miles by train and 3000 miles by car through the eastern States and met 24 engineers engaged on roading work. Because of this, he said, he felt justified in comparing Australian with New Zealand roads. Apart from the main highways and secondary roads, he said he thought the Australian roading was inferior to New Zealand’s. Here there seemed to be a keener sense of the responsibilities of local government. He had been astounded with the progress made with roading in. the last 14 years. Engineers were using what would be regarded in New Zealand as unpromising material, but they were making roads which, for the type of traffic they carried, were equal to anything in the world. In New South Wales and Victoria the methods were at least five years ahead of New Zealand’s ways. The mechanisation of processes was responsible. In common with New Zealand authorities, however, Australian engineers were meeting the great difficulties presented by the excessive speeds of motorists on gravelled roads. The destruction of these roads was faster than they could overtake. Many Australian roads had been laid down on a supposedly permanent basis, but such roads as the Pacific Highway were now incapable of carrying traffic at the speed it was travelling for which They had been built. These roads had been laid on concrete. Now engineers were wishing they could re design them. At At the time they were laid the speed value round curves was 35 miles an hour. Now motorists wanted to do 50.