Bay Of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 1950

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 82, 6 January 1950, Page 4

Bay Of Plenty Beacon Published Mondays, Wednesdays and FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 1950

OHOPE ROAD Visitors here over the holidays had a lot of nasty cpmments to make about the road from Whakatane to Ohope. Local residents will agree, up to a point, but with some understanding of the difficulties. Their main complaint is about the crazy driving of some of the people who used the road. It is understandable for a driver unused to country roads to want to give himself plenty of room. But at the same time it is hardly fair of him to expect the other fellow to take wings and fly into the spaces over the edge. There is justice in both sets of complaints. But it should be pretty clear by now that the County Council alone cannot convert the present bullock track into a speedway. That sort of thing costs, money, and, from the County’s point of view, the heavy expenditure on one small section of road could hardly be justified when there is so much that needs doing on roads that give essential access to the primary producers who are tfce bulk of the County ratepayers.

On the other hand, County Councillors would be the first to recognise Ohope’s attraction for visitors and County residents alike, and the first to want to provide reasonable access to it. But why should the County stand all the racket, when the road is being bashed into a bad state'by the cars, caravans and trailers of town residents and people who come from right outside the district?

Actually, there is a strong argument for Government assistance, and it is not at all unlikely that the Whakatane Borough Council would be prepar-

ed to co-operate if that assistance were available.

The way the situation stands at the moment, it is possible that a route to Ohope —not necessarily the present one—might become part of the main highway to Opotiki. In that event the problem will be solved painlessly. But, if that does not happen, then Ohope’s attraction for tourists should be sufficiently strong to merit consideration by the Government of a subsidy proposition. And its value as a suburb that can help a loc with Whakatane’s overflow of population has long been recognised by the Borough Council. Whatever the solution, one should be sought diligently, because there is no doubt that the state of that road is getting this very desirable holiday resort some bad advertising in outside districts. As regards the carelessness of some holiday drivers, the complaints are well-founded. There seem to be some people who believe that the possession of an expensive, high-powered car gives them the right to mow down anybody else less fortunate, hogging the road and driving with a maniacal disregard for anyone else’s safety. It wan that attitude amongst the drivers of aristocrats’ coaches that helped to precipitate the French Revolution. While no one would suggest a revolution as a reasonable answer here, nor suggest that a large car makes an aristocrat, one does wish that all drivers of all vehicles would resolve to give all others a fair share of what is admittedly a tricky road.

PONY CLUB GYMKHANA Whakatane Domain SATURDAY, JANUARY 14