COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORT
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Most of them are situated in the commercial-residential areas of Causeway Bay, North Point, Tsim Sha Tsui, Mong Kok and San Po Kong. A further three are under construction and will provide a further 1,000 spaces. Another seven private car parks with a total capacity of 5,200 vehicles are planned and construction is expected to start in 1975.
The government also provides off-street open-air car parks on a temporary basis on land awaiting development. In 1974 there were six of these car parks, three within the urban areas and chargeable, with a total capacity of 1,500 vehicles. Two more are planned and construction was expected to start in 1975. Charges for these temporary car parks were also increased in October.
Where on-street parking facilities are provided, the government's policy is to ration the limited space available by means of parking meters. At the end of the year, there were 10,000 meters on the streets and the number will increase to 13,000 in early 1975. To ensure a reasonable turnover of short term parkers, the government approved higher rates of fees for parking meters in 1972, but because of delays in the delivery of equipment, the first of the new rate meters were not installed in Central and Tsim Sha Tsui until mid-1974. Since then, old meters have been replaced gradually in other areas. During the year, because of increasing demand for parking spaces and the need to ration the limited number of such spaces available in the area, Tsuen Wan became the first New Territories district to have meters installed; Tai Kok Tsui in Kowloon was the first area where parking spaces for lorries were metered. All parking meters operate from 8 am to midnight and it was expected that hours of operation would be extended to cover Sundays and public holidays in 1975.
Public Transport
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Scheduled passenger services are provided by seven private companies and the government-operated Kowloon-Canton Railway. The China Motor Bus Company (CMB) runs bus services on Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) (KMB) in Kowloon and the mainland part of the New Territories, and the New Lantau Bus Company (1973) on Lantau Island. Both CMB and KMB operate joint cross-harbour services using the cross-harbour tunnel. Additional scheduled services are provided on Hong Kong Island by Hongkong Tramways and the Peak Tramways Company. A regular and comprehensive network of cross-harbour and outlying island ferry services is run by the Hongkong and Yaumati Ferry Company, and the Star Ferry Company operates a service between Central and Kowloon Point. Other passenger transport services are provided by public light buses, taxis and public (hire) cars. The passenger traffic carried by each of the undertakings during the past three years is listed in Appendix 35.
Kowloon-Canton Railway (British Section)
The Kowloon-Canton Railway is a government department which has operated profitably over the last 20 years. As a result it has made a valuable financial contribu- tion to the general revenue of Hong Kong as well as being of vital importance in ensuring a regular supply of goods from China.