A Visitor's Comment

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 156, 20 July 1937, Page 7

A Visitor's Comment

OEOL

WRIGHT^

•Sir,— There is truth iu the old sayiugs "Familiarity breeds contempt" and "Jjookers on see more of the game." JBut it may interest your readers to know one or two things that have eapecially struck me as a visitor to your town oi Hastings. First of all is the general appearance of tke town. Those who planned and carried out the work had little or no advantages. They had to deal with a dead fiat plain with not even a river which could be made a thing of beauty — but there were chain wide streets with trees and grass along the footpaths and kerbs and they have succeeded, in making Hastings one of the most attralctive places in the Dominion. What a contrast to Wellington. There money has been wasted — chain wide streets with some places 13 feet footpatlis, in others as narrow as 26 inches — and. even in side streets in suburbs, carrying the minimum of traffic, the whole eliain is down in bitumenized roading and path. There is, however, one criticism 1 have to offer but whether blame attaches to the Hastings, County, or Havelock North authorities, or to two of them or to all three, I know not. Thq general idea in New Zealand of these controiling roads appears to be this. If a man is so poor or eccentrio that lie wants to walk. — well let him to do at risk of life or limb. In Wellington this is clearly seen. I think that I am eorrect in saying that to walk from Karori to the G.P.O. one must cross the road seven times. At one place in Wellington there is no footpath at all — not even a piece of road railed off. I walked from Havelock to Hastings on a wet evening and every time a car came I had to istep some 5 feet on to the grass. I would suggest that 3 feet of the road on one side should be railed off. All that is needed is two strong posts, where the footpath stops, with one wire on light posts up to the next footpath with two .posts there. This leads one thoughts to the traffic. The way motorists drive in Hastings is excellent— supremely so. It is as good as it is bad in Wellington. It is impossible to put it more strongly. i do not know to whom the credit is due but all users of the streets should be grateful. This is an imperfect world and I am not sure that some ,of the walkers do not take advantage of the motorists. Bicycles awarua and need attention. Many motorists appear to think the footpaths are for them — the pedestrian only taking seqond place. Boys wliirl past just missing one — and there is no excuse as the roads are A.l. This is but a small point. The big one is the absence of liglits. I walked a great deal after dark and the number of cycles without lights was remarkable — noiseless, lightless— often on the wrong side of the road — whizzing round corners they are a danger to the walker — a nightmare to the motorist. — Yours, etc.,

Karori, Wellington, July 15, 1937.