1498
HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL — 1 June 1988
divides that by 30 he will get the daily rate, which is more than I can do at the moment. Hire-cars and private cars were at 3 563, coaches and light buses at 3 630, and other vehicles at 1 183. A total of 268 208 in the month.
With regard to the second part of the question on the extension of the hours of opening of the border in the evening to cope with the increased traffic, as I have said in my original reply, Sir, this is kept under review by the joint working group on the subject. They last met four weeks ago and they expect to meet every three to four months; if current traffic levels at the time they meet or prior to their meeting are such that some adjustment is required, then of course an adjustment will be made.
I should, however, point out that there are constraints on extending the hours. One of these is, necessarily, staff. And the other, which must not be forgotton, is the capacity, on the Chinese side, to cope with any extension.
MR. ANDREW WONG: Would the Secretary for Security or the Secretary for Transport inform this Council how long is the queue waiting to cross the border at Man Kam To? A mile, or three miles, or four miles? And what inconvenience has this caused to residents of Sheung Shui?
SECRETARY FOR SECURITY: Sir, when I was last out at the border which was two weeks ago, at about 11 am which can be regarded as a busy time, the queue on the Hong Kong side was about 150 yards long. I do not think that causes any problems to the inhabitants of Sheung Shui.
DR. LAM (in Cantonese): Sir, the Secretary says that with the agreement of both sides, adjustments can be made. I wonder under what circumstances and using what guidelines will this be done? Does the number of vehicles going through have to exceed 10 000 or a certain number?
Secretary for SECURITY: Yes, Sir, it takes into account the daily capacity of the crossing point which at the moment is 11 500 passengers a day, and 10 800 vehicles a day. It also takes account, as I have said in answer to a previous supplementary, of the staff resources available on both sides. I can assure you that these matters are addressed seriously by both the Hong Kong side and the Chinese side, and every effort is made to reduce the inconvenience to both the users of the crossing point and the residents who live in the area to a minimum.
MR. CHEONG: Sir, may I ask whether the Administration has examined this particular problem from another angle, and that is whether the extension of the time to 24 hours would be a help in alleviating traffic congestion in Hong Kong along the Tolo Highway and Lion Rock Tunnel?
SECRETARY FOR SECURITY: No, Sir, the Administration has not examined this particular question. Personally, I doubt whether an extension to 24 hours will