COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORT
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the finishing stages; the structure of a tunnel under the international airport was completed in 1976; and tenders were invited during the year for the construction of the Aberdeen tunnel.
The Lion Rock tunnel, opened in 1967, was Hong Kong's first road tunnel. It links Kowloon with Sha Tin and other parts of the New Territories and, when the twin tunnel is completed, there will be two vehicle lanes in each direction. The tunnel is managed by the Transport Department. In 1976 it was used by 5.2 million vehicles and revenue from toll fees-which vary from $1 to $2—totalled $6.1 million. The second tunnel is being built in order to cope with anticipated traffic to and from Sha Tin new town and other developing areas. Like the first, it will also carry water mains from the Sha Tin treatment works to Kowloon.
The cross-harbour tunnel, opened in 1972, is a $320-million project operated by the Cross Harbour Tunnel Company, in which the government has a 25 per cent interest. In 1976 some 18.2 million vehicles used the tunnel and revenue from toll fees amounted to $113.8 million. The fees vary from $2 for motor cycles to $20 for heavy goods vehicles.
The airport tunnel will form part of a traffic route along the eastern side of the Kowloon peninsula, stretching from the cross-harbour tunnel to Kwun Tong.
On the other side of the harbour, the Aberdeen tunnel will provide a direct route between the northern and southern parts of Hong Kong Island, and will also connect with the route to the cross-harbour tunnel.
Traffic Congestion
The improvement in the economy in 1976 resulted in an increase in the number of vehicles licensed and there are now 283 vehicles for every mile of road.
Throughout the year, extensive traffic diversions had to be introduced in Central District on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon to provide work sites for the mass tran- sit railway. This necessitated some road closures, restrictions on vehicles stopping, and the establishment of bus-only lanes. The arrangements worked as well as could be expected but in Hong Kong's crowded conditions any loss of road capacity has an immediate effect on traffic flow.
Outside the urban area, driving conditions improved with the construction of new roads, but on Sundays and public holidays traffic is a serious problem on the roads leading to bathing beaches and other leisure areas.
Parking
The government provides off-street parking facilities in eight multi-storey car parks and in five temporary open-air car parks, two of which cater for commercial vehicles. The multi-storey car parks have a total capacity of 5,500 vehicles, while there are 1,570 spaces in the temporary car parks. There are plans to build more government car parks.