TREES ON ROADS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 153, 20 February 1932, Page 4

TREES ON ROADS

RATEPAYERS DISCUSS COUNCIL PROPOSALS TO PLANT FENTON ST. OB STRU CTION S OPPOSED. The Rotorua Borough Council's proposal to adopt the principle. of the three-way lay-out for the contemplat! ed improvement of . Fenton Street, came up for criticism at the meeting: -of the Ratepayers' Association on Thursday night. The question came up for discus-1 sion when the Rev. F. A. Spencerj asked what the position would be reJ garding the trees planted on the road,] The old ones had been cut d'own andj he supposed the new ones would also] be slaughtered. j This prompted Mr. R. B. Nesbjl to comment on the new scheme and hef expressed strong opposition to thei placing of further obstructions jhj the roadway. He also expressed thej opinion that the roots of the treesa would interfere with the hitumen. l| seemed to him to he a foolish plan toi plant trees down a road like tbatj He eonsidered they would only causa accidents and as a ratepayer he wai prepared to sign a petition asking thl Council to reconsider its decisioia He did not like to see such an hnl portant step taken by a majority oi only two. A protest might do sonii good and prevent the waste of nioneyi Trees a Menace. 1 Mr. T. Sloane agreed with this vie* and declared the trees would he danl gerous. They could see this by thfl number of cases in which people rafl into telegraph poles and these weri well to the side of the roads. Motoia ists using the road would have treej all around them. It was creating M menace to the public. fl The president, Mr. A. H. FoggitJ agreed that on the face of it the plafl looked dangerous. In some they were making more room by tal-B ing down centre poles and it seemeB to him that the more ob struction piflj on the more danger to the public. Oi! Fenton Street, with a clear roa® there were accidents and not long agfl a man had been killed. What wom the position be when the trees grefl up ? However, he had not seen tfl plans and did not like to condemH them without doing so. All over tifl country they could see corners beifl taken off and bridges widened. ifl had seen the three-way street in Me9 bourne leading to St. Kilda, but thefl it was three or four chains wide, fl To Seek Information. fl Mr. W. Dean suggested that tifl Association should seek further pajfl ticulars from the Council to put tfl fore the ratepayers before anythiifl was done. 9 The president thought they shotfl make themselves conversant with tfl plans before condemning them. Th9 should see the plans and then fonj their opinions. It was better to |H derstand what was proposed to H done before entering a protest. |H would make it his business to see ^^B proposals. 'fl