MAKING ROOM FOR TRAFFIC

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 134, 8 June 1937, Page 8

MAKING ROOM FOR TRAFFIC

According to statistics, the Hutt Road is the busiest highway in New Zealand. Figures quoted by the Minister of Transport (Mr. Semple) recently showed that, while 2700 motor vehicles passed over a certain part of the Great South Road, just out of Auckland, 5800, or more than double the former number, were recorded on the same day of the "week on the Hutt Road. This condition of j dense traffic would seem to provide ample justification for the proposal of the Wellington City Engineer (Mr. K. Luke) to the Wellington City and Suburban Higlnvays i Board that the bitumen track should be widened between Ngahauranga and Petone. The original bituminising of the Hutt Road was confined to a central strip of much less than four-car width, with the result that overtaking vehicles ran a serious risk of meeting others coming from the opposite direction in competition for the central fairway. Head-on* collisions were not infrequent, and a few years ago the track was widened considerably by the addition of concrete haunches on each side covered with bitumen. This material improvement extended only as far as Ngahauranga from the city. It is now proposed to carry the widening on to Petone, but in a cheaper form of construction, by sealing the haunches and applying a surface coat of hot mix. There is some question as to whether in the long run it would not pay better to put down the new side extensions with a stronger foundation suitable for the heavier and slower traffic, leaving the inner tracks for lighter and faster vehicles. At present there is a distinct tendency everywhere for the bus and lorry to hold to the centre of the road and thus obstruct cars desiring to pass. This state of affairs will not be remedied on the Hutt Road by the proposed widening, unless the outside lanes are made capable of standing up to the heaviest vehicles, which ought normally to keep to those tracks. This is an important aspect of the problem which should be borne in mind by the Highways Board.