CONGESTION OF TRAFFIC.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18404, 10 June 1925, Page 9

CONGESTION OF TRAFFIC.

CITY COUNCIL'S DECISION.

TWO POINTS OF VIEW. "Perfectly ridiculous!" was hew a well-known motorist summed up th* decision of tho Christchurch City Council to prohibit all vehicular traffic from entering Cathedral square by Colombo street at tho Bank corner between 5 and 5.15 pan. daily, with the exception of Saturdays and Sundays. It seemed to him, he continued, that the Square was fast becoming a monopoly of tho Tramway Board, and it was time that motorists took action in tho matter to safeguard their own interests. Ho admitted that the question of congestion was a serious one so far as Cathedral square was concerned, but at the samo time he did not think that tho present proposal was tho way to deal with it. He considered that if the suggestion put iurward somo time ago by the Canterbury Automobiio Association were adopted, it would go a long way towards ««- lieving tho trouble. Briefly that suggestion was that trams leaving for U» southern parts of tho city should not stop until they reached Lichfield street. By this means, he consider*! that a good deal of the congestion caused in the vicinity of the Bank of .\ew Zealand corner would be obviated, the present stop at Casfael stmt being responsible for more trouble u* this connexion than was generally sopDOfifiQ A different attitude waa taken an by one who preferred to be described as a member of the great walking public. •'I am very much m favour of tho s»Rgestion." too said, "and consider thai it should have been put into operation long ago. One has only to stand on »• corner on any day of tho week except Saturday and Sundav to see how *«*- ous the position haa become. At teapresent moment it is too much to expect a.policeman on point duty to- control the traffio as it ought to bo controlled in such an important part « the city." There is no doubt, he added, that * j good deal of tho motor traffic which entered tho Square from .CJoHanW street had no need to do so at *U. Taxis, for instance, coming into the city from tho railway station eooW quite easily travel along Manchester street to get to that part which lay b*yond the Square. Such a a«J»wf m would mean a difference of about * minute, a matter of wry uttte eonsequence, and it would tend to reheva congestion. "After tho scheme has bee* in operation for a few days." he continued, "the sense of it -will ba realised, and no one will want to p one* to the old system again. TTnhl pwpte sget used to it a, number will no dw*M protest when the policeman on *rt£ turns them back on their attwaptoS to get through, but eventually they will accept it just aa they have accented the restrictions regarding; wlaeatax traffic in the Square on Friday mgaw between the hours of 7 and 9. |