HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
12 July 1989
香港立法局
·九八九年七月十二日
111
railways, the interface with public transport operations, the monitoring and control, and broad strategies.
Sir, concern on franchised bus services has been expressed, and rightly so because bus services will always remain the major passenger carrier. In areas not served by railways, they are the main mode of scheduled public transport. Bus services will continue to improve and expand to meet the travelling demands of new development areas, and satisfy growing public expectations.
It is Government's policy also to promote ferry services wherever practicable, to help relieve road congestion. Recent studies, however, have shown very limited scope for ferry operation expansion. The recent assessment of the feasibility of using ferries to relieve road and rail congestion along the Nathan Road Corridor showed that even by assuming a maximum deployment of high-speed ferries with full feeder bus services, diversion of passengers from the Mass Transit Railway and cross harbour buses would be insignificant.
The rapid growth in goods vehicle traffic and their dominant use of road space is a major concern expressed. A greater use of rail and waterborne transport has been suggested. The possibility of providing a freight line between Hong Kong and China will be considered in the territorial rail strategy study which I mentioned earlier.
But the scope of handling internal freight through rail and waterborne transport is limited as this would involve double handling; from rail or barge to lorries to final destination and vice versa. Given the small size of the territory and the shortage of land for freight yards and other associated cargo handling facilities, the freight handlers and consignees would prefer the direct door-to- door service offered by goods vehicles. Also, the freight handling capacity of the two railway lines has little room for expansion.
This means, Sir, that goods vehicles would remain the main carrier for internal goods. Trucking trade must therefore be encouraged to use their vehicles more efficiently while the goods wagons, goods vans as a cheap substitute for private cars should be discouraged as far as possible. Encouraging the carriage of freight traffic outside the peak hours is one method. On certain roads, the loading and unloading of goods vehicles during specific hours is already prohibited by means of clearway restriction.
Finally, Sir, the importance of transport and land use planning has been underlined in this debate. Effective integration will not only reduce pressure on