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We stress the point that, in our opinion, a statement setting out the Government's intentions is due, at the earliest possible date, to all interests concerned, and particularly to the Auckland Harbour Board, the local authorities concerned in metropolitan planning, and the Devonport Steam Ferry Co., Ltd., in order to enable them to formulate their respective plans and policies. (7) Generally, any other matters arising out of the premises that may come under your notice in the eourse of your inquiries and which you consider should be investigated therewith ? We record our opinion that, when direct access to the North Shore area is an accomplished fact, co-ordination of the road passenger transport services on both sides of the harbour will become necesssary. At present the bus systems on the North Shore cater to some extent for local traffic, but their principal function is to convey passengers to and from the ferries. When the bridge is opened for traffic, the greater number of the passengers now using the ferries will travel across the harbour by bus. If the southern terminal were near the city bridge-head, the influx into the city of a large fleet of North Shore buses would create a difficult parking problem, especially during peak-time periods, and also would make it necessary to provide connecting services for the conveyance of passengers to and from different parts of the city and southern suburbs ; and if, as we consider desirable, the North Shore buses were routed to different parts of the city and southern suburbs, confusion and complication with the city transport system would result unless both systems were under one control and were operated as a single system. We therefore recommend that at the appropriate time the area controlled by the Auckland Transport Board be extended to include the North Shore area or such part of that area as is urbanized. We recommend that the bus services crossing the bridge and serving the principal North Shore localities be operated by the Board, and that local services and feeder services to the Board's routes and, to the ferries on the North Shore be operated either by the Board or under license from the Board. We recommend, further, that the Board provide for the North Shore localities a scale of fares and concession rates similar to that which it provides for correspondingly distant localities on the southern side of the harbour ; and in this connection we refer to our earlier recommendation that public conveyances shall be permitted to cross the bridge free of tolls, the only toll being the Id. paid by each passenger. This toll, we suggest, can conveniently be collected by means of the issue of special tickets to be sold to passengers by the conductors or drivers of buses, payment of the proceeds to the controlling authority of the bridge being made monthly or at other stated intervals. We also recommend that the Auckland Transport Board consider according high priority to the principal North Shore routes when planning trolly-bus services to expand or replace its present services, and that the Board make provision for the through or circular routing of the North Shore buses to suitable areas in the city and southern suburbs. In passing, we express the opinion that a trolly-bus system appears to be well suited to the terrain and transport requirements of the North Shore, and that such a system can easily be incorporated in a unified system for the whole metropolitan area. However, whether a service by trolly-buses or by fuel-driven buses is decided upon, we are convinced that that service can be operated satisfactorily only as an integral part of a single metropolitan system under the control of one central authority. Such a system affords the only practicable means of avoiding intense traffic congestion at a single city terminal and the attendant delay and inconvenience to passengers occasioned by transferring to and from connecting vehicles at such a terminal, and of providing convenient co-ordinated through services between the North Shore area and the city and southern suburbs. We are of the opinion, too, that only a metropolitan transport organization can economically maintain a general reserve fleet sufficiently large to enable an adequate number of vehicles to be made available for handling the exceptionally high peaks of traffic at week-ends and on holidays that are a feature of North Shore passenger transport. The Auckland Transport Board has indicated its willingness to have its area extended to include the North Shore area if such an extension is desired.

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