COMMUNICATIONS
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A traffic-route diagram was prepared in 1958 for Victoria to ensure that the main and secondary routes are improved on a rational basis and reasonable traffic flow to all parts of the city is maintained. Dr. G. Charlesworth, a traffic specialist, who is Head of the Traffic Section of the United Kingdom Road Research Laboratory, was invited to visit Hong Kong during the year and, whilst confirming that what had been done was on the right lines, advised that there was a need for greater co-ordination between the departments concerned and that more staff should be appointed to collect and correlate the statistics needed for future planning.
Hong Kong's first pedestrian subway, across Connaught Road, was in course of construction during 1958 in order to remove the interference to the flow of vehicular traffic caused by the stream of pedestrians to and from the Star Ferry piers. As many as 250 persons a minute cross the road during the morning and evening rush hours. The new subway, which will be about 135 feet in length, will serve as an extension to the existing covered way leading from the piers, with access to and from both Connaught and Chater Roads.
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Work also started towards the end of 1958 on the construction of a road across the North Kowloon foothills. This road will link the Kai Tak area with the Tai Po Road, by-passing Sham Shui Po and the other busy and congested districts of Kowloon.
The two quarries operated by the Roads Office produced about 230,600 tons of crushed stone and fines during the year, while the bituminous macadam mixing plants_attached to these quarries produced 77,800 tons of coated materials. Almost the whole of this supply of stone and macadam was used by the Roads Office's contractors.
The increase in the weight of traffic has shown up weaknesses in some of the surfacing materials which had been quite satisfac- tory under lighter traffic. Revised mixes for asphalt and macadam were therefore made at Mount Butler Quarry, and new plant for their manufacture was ordered for Hok Yuen Quarry in Kowloon. Some difficulties were encountered in laying these materials, but these have now been overcome.
The improvement and extension of street lighting continued in 1958, over 1,200 new electric lamps being installed. Most of these