MODERN TRAFFIC

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26624, 21 November 1947, Page 4

MODERN TRAFFIC

SPECIAL MOTORWAYS ENVISAGED SAVING OF LIVES INVOLVED Parliamentary Reporter WELLINGTON. Nov. 20. Many roads in New Zealand, as elsewhere, had been built for horse-drawn traffic and were unsuited for the vastly greater burdens of the motor traffic they now carried, said the Minister of Works, Mr Semple, moving the second reading of the Public Works Amendment Bill in the House of Representatives The Minister added that the result 'was a distressingly high toll of road casualties. , , . During the war, New Zealand had suffered 29,539 casualties in her forces overseas, but road 1 casualties within the Dominion in the same time were 20 227 The Bill sought to prevent such tragedies in future by providing for the construction of special motorways which would be restricted solely to mechanised traffic with horsedrawn and pedestrian traffic provided for elsewhere. Mr W. S. Goosman (Oppn., Piako) said the Opposition agreed with the proposals wnich were a natural development which had to come, but the question was when the Bill, in effect, empowered the Government to form the motorways which would be like a railroad with no access except at given points. Mr P. Kearins (Govt., Waimarino) said that the sealing of the existing important highways should take precedence over the construction of motorways. That would save as many lives. The Bill was passed.