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COMMUNICATIONS
ADMINISTRATION
The Transport Advisory Committee formed in 1965, has a membership of four official members and six unofficial members, with one of the latter as its chairman. It advises the Governor or the statutory authority (who in most cases is the Commissioner for Transport) on all aspects of transport and traffic policy, with the exception of external sea and air communications.
The Transport Department provides a secretariat for the Trans- port Advisory Committee and carries out a wide range of executive functions including vehicle licensing, driving tests and vehicle inspection. As the statutory authority, the Commissioner for Transport is also responsible for regulating public transport services and co-ordinating action between other departments in the transport field.
The number of registered motor vehicles at the end of 1970 was 143,687, an increase of 15 per cent over the previous year. (Vehicle statistics are given in Appendix 38).
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The demand for driving licences continued to rise and during the year 173,445 driving tests were conducted and 338,503 driving licences were issued. (Driving licences statistics are given at Appendix 38).
The system of compulsory annual inspection of taxis and public cars, instituted in June 1966, was extended to all public light buses first registered before January, 1969, and all omnibuses first registered before 1962 to ensure that these vehicles comply with basic safety requirements.
The 4,677-foot Lion Rock Tunnel, which was formally opened to traffic on November 14, 1967, and provides a shorter alternative route between Kowloon and Sha Tin, is managed and operated by the Transport Department. The tunnel is the first and only toll road in the Colony. The tolls charged are $1 for buses, goods vehicles, public light buses and private light buses, and 50 cents for private cars and motor cycles. During the year a total of 2,763,914 vehicles used the tunnel and 1,551,620.25 was collected in tolls, an increase of 19 per cent over the previous year.