NEW HIGHWAY OUTLETS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 733, 5 August 1929, Page 11

NEW HIGHWAY OUTLETS

Cure for Newmarket Congestion

THREE MORE TRAFFIC ARTERIES Town Planning Association Proposals RELIEF for traffic-congested Newmarket by the creation of direct arterial roads on both sides of Broadway, and the linking up of the waterfront road with St. Heliers Bay Road are the principal proposals in a report issued by the technical group of the Auckland Town Planning Association. It is contended that Auckland will find it compulsory to relieve Newmarket at any cost and the group estimates that its scheme for that borough would increase the traffic capacity by 300 per cent.

The personnel of the group is as j follows:—Professor Knight, M.A., B. | Arch, A.R.1.8.A., AN.Z.I.A.; Mr. W. H. j Gummer, F.R.1.8.A., M.T.P.1.; Mr. A. J. Brown, A.R.1.8A, A.N.Z.P.A., A.M.T.P.. (architects); Mr. F. E. Powell, C.E., A.M.I. Mech. E„ IvI.N.Z. Soc. C.E. (engineer); Mr. T. C. Webster (barrister and solicitor); Mr. C. K. Grierson, M.I.S.N.Z. (registered engineer); Mr. E. V. Blake, M.1.5.N.Z., A.M.T.P.1., registered engineers (surveyors). Mr. Blake is leader of the group and Mr. E. D. Wilkinson, F.P.A.N.Z., secretary. At the present time all south and east-bound traffic, travelling via Broadway, Newmarket, must pass between the foothills of Mount Eden and the gully dividing Remuera from Parnell, says the report. BROADWAY BOTTLENECK When the waterfront road and its subsidiary roads are completed, an alternative for a large portion of Remuera and beyond will be available, affording some relief to Newmarket. However, a great part of the Tamaki district: —most of it high-class land—will still be without direct access to the city. Unless an alternative is provided, traffic from Mount Wellington and adjacent districts will bo compelled to pass through the Newmarket bottleneck or find its way to the waterfront road. A large amount of incoming traffic from three arterial roads converges on Broadway, which is also a popular shopping centre. To this is added the functioning of three main tram-lines. The only two outlets have bad crossings and sharp turns. “The southern main highway traffic is bound to increase because it is necessarily confined within such narrow limits,” continues the report. “Unquestionably this southern arterial traffic must be provided with direct, unimpeded traffic routes to the commercial and industrial centres and to the port facilities. “Should it be blocked or congested, a very serious impediment to the fievelopment of Auckland will take place.” “In view of the tremendous increase in road transport of all classes, Auckland will find it compulsory to provide a direct unobstructed southern route at any cost, and the sooner it is provided, the less that cost will be.” The solution of the problem is the provision of adequate arteries to the east of Newmarket and the correction of the street system in the environs of that borough, the report contends. It is apparent that the waterfront roadway will be of great value to the northern slopes of Remuera and Tamaki, particularly as the only existing route between this new artery and Remuera Road is Shore Road with

its excessive grades, but a large district which is bound to become residential south and east of the area served by the waterfront road and Shore Road is at present being forced to use the more indirect route of Remuera Road or the Great South Road, travelling via Newmarket. ORAKEI POINT LINK A new artery is required for this district,-and can be obtained approximately by linking up the waterside roadway at Orakei Point, following the existing road to Orakei Bridge,. proceeding south to a point below Purewa Cemetery, thence by easy grade to St. Heliers Bay Road. Leaving this road the new route vfould skirt Waiatarua Lake and park until it linked up via the east side of Mount Wellington with Panmure. This route would provide great and direct relief to Newmarket. Steps should be taken immediately to provide this outlet, as land in the vicinity is being subdivided rapidly. If the scheme is left until a later time, expensive property may have to be resumed and a direct route may be difficult to obtain; whereas, at the moment, such a scheme, at little cost, could be incorporated as part of the subdivision. Once these projected outlets arc established traffic outlets to the south and east are soundly distributed, and, provided a proper linking up of. circumferential and secondclass roads is achieved in the detailed planning, a sound street system ir. this area will be established. It follows that the main southern routes, Manukau Road and Great South Road, tvill then be asked to convey only legitimate traffic, that is to say, longdistance traffic, and traffic from their immediately contiguous areas. “Notwithstanding this relief, Newmarket must necessarily remain congested until some means are found to deal with the faulty street system,” continues the report. This can be obtained, it suggests, first by separating the three traffic streams, Manukau Road, Great South Road and Remuera Road; secondly, by providing routes clear of the tram tracks; and thirdly, by planning broad and easily curved and graded routes past the main shopping centres with their necessary congestion. Main arteries should not be allowed to converge at a point like this unless spacious getaways, large enough to carry the concentrated traffic, are provided. It is considered that the rectification necessary can best be achieved by constructing two fresh links in the system so as to prevent the main arteries from converging into a bottleneck. NEW TRAFFIC ARTERIES

As illustrated in the plan published in today’s Sun, the first link would divert the major portion of the Great South Road traffic via Maurice Avenue, Mahuru Road, and a new road

through the railway workshops and station area, joining Parnell Road in the vicinity of Sarawai Street. The major portion of the Manukau Road traffic would be diverted at the junction of the Main South Road and. travelling via a new road by easy grade and curve, and crossing Khyber Pass by viaduct, would join Park Road near Outhwaite Park, It is suggested that these roads be made 80 feet in width, thus increasing the carrying capacity of the arterial road system of Newmarket by nearly 300 per cent. The report explains that the planning of details has not yet been worked out fully. Road intersections require still closer study. Generally speaking, however, the new routes appear to more than justify themselves. Claims for betterment should help substantially in financing the project. Further features requiring detailed consideration, include a linking of the street system of the industrial areas of Newmarket with the main highways already suggested, as required, thus providing adequate s'ervice to a valuable area. Grafton Bridge will undoubtedly become fuYther congested, and in time to come will require duplication with a replanning at the Karangahape Road end. Parnell Road will need diverting in the vicinity of the Domain Drive, travelling parallel with the present railway line through the outskirts of the Domain, and thus providing an easegrade for heavy traffic in lieu of Parnell Rise. RAILWAY YARDS SCHEME PROPOSAL TOO COSTLY, SAY TOWN PLANNERS On the grounds that the big sum of money required could be better expended on its comprehensive scheme, the technical group of the Town Planning Association is not in favour of the proposal to set back the railway yards at Newmarket. It contends that the work would involve the Railway Department in a direct loss of not less than £6.0,000, and a depreciation in rental values on the balance of the land equal to at least £2,000 or £3,000 a year. These sums would go a long way toward carrying out the permanent improvements suggested by the group as a solution of the traffic problems of Newmarket. The position that has arisen in Newmarket is the direct result of piecemeal improvement schemes being considered as part of piecemeal town plans, which have no relation to the general planning of the whole city area, continues the report. However desirable certain road connections may appear as a solution of local problems, unless these have some relation to a general improvement scheme they are apt to create equally difficult situations at some other point. JOCKEYS V. BARMEN BENEFIT LEAGUE MATCH To assist the relatives of the jockey, E. Warner, who was killed last May, the Auckland jockeys will play the Auckland barmen in a League match at Carlaw Park on Wednesday afternoon at 3 p.m. The curtain-raiser will be a Soccer match between teams representing the hotel and restaurant waitresses. Following are the teams: Jockeys.—Holland, Burgess, Garrett, Gill, Beere, Hope, Jones, Sharkey, McTavish, Martheson, Conway, Mander. Akerstien, Methan, Chapman. Barmen. —Donald. Squire, Oliver, Morton, Cleaver, Mahon, Bear man, Macky, Andrews, List, Moran, Waldon, McEwen, Deen.