Roads & Councils

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 232, 20 December 1927, Page 6

Roads & Councils

For the guidance of southern motorists visiting Auckland during the holidays, about 15 signposts will be erected in conspicuous parts of the city. The posts will indicate the outlets to the city and the accesses to the Town Hall, Post Office and vehicular ferries. The signs will be supplied by the Auckland Automobile Association and will be erected under supervision of the City Council.

The A.A.A. has decided to erect a permanent electric sign at a convenient spot along the Great South Road, as a road indicator to motorists entering Auckland at night. * * * Boston Road, an important link between Mount Eden and Khyber Pass Road is at present being paved in concrete by the City Council staff. Half the width has been completed, and the road will probably be ready early in the New Year.

The question of the grade at the bottom of Ayr Street, Parnell, seems to have reached finality with the acceptance by the City Council of the piece of land offered by Mr. G. Henning. This will enable the road to be straightened. Excellent progress is being made with the construction of the Inga Road bridge over the Wairau estuary at Milford, according to the monthly report of the 1 engineer of the Waitemata County Council. It was now possible in fine weather to gain access t<*» Castor Bay by way of the route, and the road was expected to be opened for traffic shortly.

It is now possible for even moder-ately-powered cars to make the run from Auckland to Hamilton in top gear, thanks to the new deviation at Bombay, which cuts out the notorious Razorback. The deviation is not yet metalled, but it is quite good in fine weather and very much appreciated by motorists.

The road over the hill at Waiwera is in a bad state and plans are already drawn up by the Main Highways Board to build a deviation. The new road will also rise to a great height, and contain many curves, and the engineer to the Automobile Association has made a suggestion that a more level road round the sea-front could be constructed. cutting out the hill. The Main Highways Board reported unfavourably on such a proposal some little time ago, but the association considers that the road w’ould be justified and has decided* to approach the Main Highways Board about it. Tenders have been called by the Manakau County Council for the concreting of Wiri Bridge in the Great South Road.

In a discussion regarding the Tau-maranui-Te Kuiti road at a meeting of the Auckland Automobile Association last week, the service officer reported that the Main Highways Board has done excellent work on this piece of road. In two years, eight railway crossings have been removed and the road brought from an impassable state into an all-weather route. He voiced the opinion of the association when he said, “if we get xvork on some roads we need like the work on that road, everyone will be well pleased.”

The project recently brought forward by theiA.A.A. of making a new deviation over the Onetea stream near Rangiriri township, has been shelved by the Main Highways Board on the ground of expense. The council of the Auckland Automobile Association is dissatisfied with the method adopted by some local bodies of setting traffic traps with a. single stop watch. It is considered that it is unfair to prosecute on the evidence of one man. The North Island Motor Union has been asked to make some recommendation for uniformity.

Motorists may npxv drive through to Spirit’s Bay. Previously, it was necessary to leave cars at Te Paki and complete the remaining few miles on horseback. The last link in the road was connected on December 2.

A salesman was drumming home the good points of a certain dnake of car to a would-be purchaser who, after listening attentively for a while, said: “It sounds all right, but this is what I’d like to know. If I get into the country. miles from anywhere, and run short of petrol, can I get home on my magneto?”