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A. I have been asked so many times questions of this sort and it's no good.
This thing is too far away for me to say anything that would be helpful.
I quite understand it concerns many people in HK but I would not advance
their interest by commenting in public.
Q. Traffic conditions affect the life of people a great deal do you think that
by banning all private cars that it would solve the problem?
A. No there is no suggestion of banning all cars on all the main roads.
Q. But that's what Govt's policy is.
A. No it is not. The bus lanes are an entirely different matter. That
is a question of priority at certain selected times of the day for what
the experts are pleased to call high occupancy vehicles. We have a
highly restricted road system here. Admittedly we are giving priority to
communications with the NT and we can't do everything at once. But in most
big crowded cities there are some limitations. Where the traffic becomes so congested that nobody can move it is best to give priority at certain times of the day to the best carriers of people.
Q. Do you think building more new roads would help.
A. It's absolutely essential but the trouble is that they are extraordinarily
expensive. We have got to a stage where very often they have to be built
E
in the sea this takes rather a long time.
Q. Has Govt decided it is better to build MTR?
A. At the moment the rival merits of a short island line or light rail system
are being argued with passionate devotion by officials on either side.
I hope out of this battle a slightly crumpled document giving recommendations will eventually emerge. We are going to have to take a decision about this
really quite soon. I should say by October by the latest.
interesting argument if you want to be briefed on it.
It's a very
/Q. What is