The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1912.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 3658, 21 October 1912, Page 4

The Gisborne Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1912.

The still unsolved problem as regards heavy traffic which affects a number of Kait-i roads so seriously again came up for consideration, it will have been noted, at the meeting of the Cook County on Friday. What was proposed on that occasion, it would appear, was that it would he preferable in the ease of the County roads which require to be used by the Brick and Pipe Company to adopt the system known as that of steelways. As was pointed ont by Mr Fraser and as is fairly well-known, the track which is provided under this system consists of two steel tram plate rails usually of a size from seven inches to eleven inches wide jointed by fishplates with through bolts. The inverted rails are filled with concrete andi as a rule placed on a prepared bed of concrete. What the County Engineer suggests in this regard, however, is- that the rails, after having been filled with concrete, mightsimply be laid in the macadam and boxed in. Under the steel-way system, which is in use extensively in some of the older countries, notably Germany, and to a slight extent m Australia, the-experience would seem to have been that in addition to the fact that they enable an increased weight of load to he carried, the cost of upkeep of a road so equipped is (

The Heavy Traffic Problem.

infinitesimal cojrfjwred with that of maintenance of an ordinary macadam J load, whichfis also called upon to 1 withstand Jroavy traffic. \Y here steelwavs 'ha* proved most useful is, of { course Jh cases where, like that unavr ( notic Jr no steep gradients present , thei/elves and the thoroughfares are « no/ unduly busy; but, nevertheless, if quantity of heavy materials to be transported is considerable. Now it , 'seems to us that even if the mainten- j ance problem can be solved in this , way so far as the County roads m question are concerned the difficulty of the Borough in the same regard will remain none the less patent. It would, indeed, be well for the City Fathers” to again look into the matter without delay with a view to a further conference with representatives of the County and of the Brick and Pipe Company. Some time ago j it was arranged, it will bo recalled, that the heavy traffic in question should ultimately )>e conducted via Huxley, Tyndall and Wainw roads to the borough boundary. What Mr Fraser now recommends his Council, I however, is that the County should make a steelway as suggested by him via Huxley road to deLautour rc«d. His chief contentions in this regard are (1) that the route via Huxley road to deLautour road to the borough boundary would be 2G chains shorter than the route via Huxley, Tyndall and Wainm roads; (2) that m the event of the County deciding to adopt steel-ways along the centre of the macadamised portion it would be preferable that this description of road should be confined to a suburban lather than a main road; (3) by the j shorter route the crossing of two i bridges is done away with, also two j right-angle turns, and (4) the traffic of brick carts when it arrives at I deLautour road could be distributed J along Iranui, Butene and M ainui I roads in place of being concentrated | along Wainui road only. Now it j seems to us that the proposal really | amounts to a good bargain for the

County, but a very bad bargain for the Borough. It is quite clear, we should say. that if heavy brick traffic is to be allowed again during tue forthcoming summer and autumn on all the roads in Kaiti tluw must rsvert to the same disgraceful condition that characterised them during the whole of the past winter, unless in the meantime a great deal of repair work can be carried out upon them. Would it not be far better then, so far as the Borough is concerned, for a start to be made to improve Wainui road first of all to such an extent that the remainder of the roads in Kaiti will be saved? It is, of course, the case that a large quantity of Gentle Annie metal has been laid down in Wainui road during the past feib weeks. What we have in mind, however, is that no more money should he expended on the road in this way, but that the road should he put down permanently as scon as possible. By a permanent road we, of course, mean a road with a good foundation such as may be obtained unaer the I 'Telford Macadam” system. The "City .Fathers” might, perhaps, S4so consider the advisableness of adopting a steel-way on the Borough section of the Wainui road if a suitable arrangement can be made with, the Brick Company. Whatever may ultimately be agreed upon we feel that the ratepayers of Kaiti will be quite justified in insisting that so far as the Borough is concerned the heavy traffic in question be confined to Wainui road.