Consultant Assesses Traffic Problems

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30959, 15 January 1966, Page 14

Consultant Assesses Traffic Problems

In planning for the future it was essential to think ahead to when the ownership of motor-vehicles was about saturation point, said Professor Colin Buchanan when he presented his consultants’ report to the City Council last evening. With an associate (Mr G. Crow) Professor Buchanan has spent a fortnight in Christchurch examining the master transport scheme prepared by the Christchurch Regional Planning Authority, and designed to cope with traffic volumes up to 1980.

The travel and traffic surveys which were the basis for the plan were described in the book, “Traffic in a New Zealand City,” which was the best description of a traffic study they had ever seen,” Professor Buchanan said.

The year 1980 was the time being generally worked to in New Zealand planning and the date by which it was expected that the bulk of land within the urban fence would Shave been developed; but it ’ was not the saturation date for motor-vehicle ownership, he said. That was expected around 1985 or 1990. The local authorities’ planning schemes seemed to have been conceived without consideration of the implications for movement, he said.

Urban Sprawl Further residential development appeared to be a continuation of the outward sprawl of Christchurch, which fundamentally was at the root of the problem now arising in the provision of communication lines between outer suburbs and the centre. The problems might not be insuperable, Professor Buchanan said, but he emphasised that when a town had grown to the size and extent of Christchurch it was unwise to go on adding peripheral housing without the most careful consideration of the cumulative problems of traffic arising from every addition..! subdivision.

Looking at residential spread, he said he hoped that the council would protect its international airport and bear in mind the sad lessons from some European airports that had become surrounded by dwellings.

One-way Streets On access to the central shopping area, Professor Buchanan favoured “one-way pairs” of roads on the north, east, and south sides. He suggested that Manchester street be extended south across the railway to a t as a relief for Colombo street. This, including the bridge over the railway, would be in substitution for the Antigua street route.

The bulk of long-term parking should be kept outside the “one way pairs”—north of Salisbury street, east of Madras street, and south of St. Asaph street. There should be at least a 25 per cent increase of capacity in intersections. The local design capacity Tor a street intersection was considerably lower than would be the case for a similar intersection in Britain. This appeared to be because there was difficulty in getting drivers to form two lanes, especially if there were cyclists using the street. “Without being specific about a remedy, we do think that life is going to be very difficult unless by some means or other considerably greater capacities can be secured from certain key intersections,” he said.

Parking Control It was absolutely essential that the council should retain full control over all parking in and near the centre—control over the amount of parking and where it was provided and how much was charged. If it was proved that the provision of access to the central area from the east rather than from the west would overload the approaches, then the consultants would be inclined to advocate a cut in travel by private cars and more bus travel rather than “a further onslaught on the environment.”

The principle of subsidy of bus services was already fully accepted in Christchurch, and expansion r* the service would not seem to present insuperable difficulties.

“Too Slow”

On the need for motorways, Professor Buchanan said he and Mr Crow had a rather depressing abiding impression that the programme for the construction of the motorways was much too slow and too distant. “On a combination of traffic and environmental grounds, much of the motorways construction is justified now,” he said. “This is a familiar story —the drawing up of plans with exhaustive care and consideration, but with the knowledge that the projects are so far ahead as to be almost unreal.

“It is not for us to try to suggest what the priorities for capital investment should be, but we can perhaps point out that when a community has the ability to invest in motor-vehicles on the scale that is being done in Christchurch—not that the city is in the least unique in this—then there does seem to be an obligation to put an equivalent investment into accommodating the resulting traffic. If the latter investment cannot be raised, the answer is simple—restrict the number of motor-vehicles.” Answering objections heard in Christchurch, Professor Buchanan said there had been suggestions that the belts should be used as the main distributors in lieu of motorways. The possibility of using Bealey avenue had been explored thoroughly, but rejected. Fitzgerald avenue was too far out to the east. Moor-

house avenue was heavily trafficked already as a feeder road for industry.

“Ostrich-Like” On suggestions that the traffic forecasts of the Regional Planning Authority were exaggerated, he said this was an ostrich-like attitude. If anything, the forecasts were on the low side. For years people had seemed reluctant to understand what happened when a community took to motor-care in a big way.

“The history of the last half-century shows repeated failures to foresee the growth of traffic, and city after city has paid bitterly as a consequence,” he said. “We sincerely hope this mistake, which has already been made in Christchurch, will not be repeated.” Then there had been suggestions that motorways were thoroughly obnoxious in principle and it was alleged that in certain large American cities motorways were being removed. “New Zealand strikes us as very much a country of the motor-car, and Christchurch, with its low-density suburbs, very much the kind of city where the motor-car is likely to be the mainstay and dominant element of the transport system for as far ahead as can be foreseen,” he said. “It is not unreasonable, therefore, to plan for its use.

Motorways “Motorways admittedly are awkward things to have to incorporate in a standing built-up area, but if done with care they can be effective and they can drain off a great deal of traffic from other areas which can then live at peace with themselves.” Professor Buchanan and Mr Crow were thanked by the Mayor (Mr G. Manning), the Deputy-Mayor (Cr H. P. Smith) and Cr. N. G. Pickering and their report was referred to the appropriate committees.

About 160 persons crowded into the public gallery at the council chamber to hear Professor Buchanan. Not all could find seats.