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(2) Volume of Motor Traffic and Average Density on the Main-highway System. The total annual vehicle-mileage on the main-highway system in 1937-38 was 885,293,630, as compared with 593,707,175 vehicle-miles in 1934-35, an increase of practically 50 per cent. At the same time the mileage of the main-highway system has been increased from 11,176 miles to 11,710, or by 4-8 per cent, of the former length. The average traffic density over the whole of the main-highway system was 207 motor-vehicles per day in 1937-38, as compared with 145-5 per day in 1934-35, thus indicating an average increase of 42 per cent.

The North Island main-highway system comprises 55 per cent, of the total main-highway system of the Dominion and carried 65 per cent, of the total main-highway traffic. The average traffic density in the North Island was 245 motor-vehicles per day, as compared with 167 motor-vehicles per day in 1934-35. In the South Island the increase in traffic density was from 119 motor-vehicles per day in 1934-35 to 160 per day in 1937-38. The comparisons between the traffic densities on the various highway systems at each census are shown graphically by Fig. 1.

FIG. I.-COMPARISON OF AVERAGE TRAFFIC DENSITY ON MAIN HIGHWAYS 1937-38 AND 1934-35.

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