The speaker then proceeded to examine the road facilities in Shanghai and adduced the following figures:—
London Glasgow Shanghai (Foreign Settlement) Area-Square Miles 693 29.97 8.72 Population 7,000,000 1,100,000 783,000 Mileage of Roads 7,000" 332 105 Population per Square Mile 10,000 36,703 99,794 Miles of Per Square Milo 10.10 11.08 12.04 Per 100,000 Population 108 30 13
The lack of straightness in the longer, slower and less safe, while narrowness aggravated all the difficulties, traffic and otherwise.
Where the traffic was heaviest and the need for roads of adequate width greatest, the roads were narrowest: in the Central district, 34 per cent., of the roads were 23 ft. or less between footpaths; 60 per cent. were 27 ft. or less. This was a startling weakness which if not remedied before it was too late would cripple Shanghai development.
Orriciat Pians Discussep.
"The extent and nature of the development in Shanghai and the prospects of much greater development to come have been so obvious for years as to have warranted the appearance carlier of a complete road policy and provisions to curry it out. The Municipal Gazette published on the day of the Ratepayers' Meeting this year contained the Council's Official Plans, 1921." It is impossible to refer to them here except in the briefest way. szechuen Road is scheduled for widening to 70 ft. between buildings, but the width between many large and costly buildings of a permanent character in Szechuen Road is now much less than 70 ft.
"Who can believe that Szechuen toad can be widened, as schedule ed, within a time and at a cost warranted by the probable benefit, expecially as its prolongation on North Szechuen Road extension is not scheduled for any widening and apparently cannot be because it runs through a closely built-up territory under Chinese jurisdiction? Kiangse Road, which the Council now favours as an electric traction route, is not, although narrow, mentioned in the plans for' any widening, although a good deal of widening could be effected there much more rapidly and cheaply than in Szechuen Road.
"T drew attention, years ago, in. a published statement, to the need: to plan road developments and. public traction developments in harmony and well ahead. Here, however, is one of the costliest items ie the Council's plans devoted to a road on which it has said it does not wish public traction whilst the plang include nothing for wide ing a road equally narrow on which it intimates its willingness to sanction public traction.
Revision Wantep.
"Peking Road is also scheduled for widening to 70 ft.—a_ laudable' decision, but unfortunately reached too late to prevent the entrance; of Peking Road into the Bund be-,, ing permanently constricted by two, large concrete buildings, one on either side, now nearing' complet' ion. The space between these' buildings is only 40 ft. and, after deducting reasonable footpaths, there is left for roadway merely a bottle-neck.
"Whilst the road plans we ave discussing include the widening of Woosung and Minghong Reads to 30 ft. which would admit of double track tramways instead of single as at present, and also reasonable. footpaths and adequate width Shanghai roads made journeys tween rails and footpaths, these
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.