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TRANSPORT
Efforts to combat road congestion continued. A passage tax, from June 1, on motor vehicles other than buses passing through the Cross-Harbour Tunnel led to a drop of nine per cent in the monthly total of motor vehicles using the tunnel by the end of the year. Good progress was made on the pilot study of an Electronic Road Pricing System aimed at controlling the use of road space rather than car ownership. A final decision on whether to proceed with a full-scale system will be made in 1985. The report on the study of Hong Kong's trucking industry, undertaken by consultants on the government's behalf, has suggested measures to alleviate congestion.
A new franchise was granted to the Hong Kong and Yaumati Ferry Company and a two-year extension of franchise was also granted to the Kowloon Motor Bus Company.
Administration
The Transport Branch of the Government Secretariat, whose head is the Secretary for Transport, is responsible for overall policy formulation and the direction and co-ordination of all transport matters. In discharging this responsibility, the Secretary for Transport is joined on major transport issues by the Transport Advisory Committee (TAC), which advises the Governor in Council on transport policies. The TAC is chaired by an unofficial and has 11 unofficial and six official members. The Transport Policy Co-ordinating Committee, with a wholly official membership and chaired by the Secretary for Transport himself, advises on the co-ordination of policies.
The Transport Department is responsible for executing policy and regulating much of the internal transport system. The Commissioner for Transport, who heads the depart- ment, is the administering authority for the Road Traffic Ordinance and other legislation affecting public transport operations other than railways. His responsibility covers road traffic management, including government road tunnels, carparks and metered parking spaces, and the regulation of internal road and waterborne public transport. On these matters, he is advised by the Standing Conference on Road Use and the Standing Committee on Waterborne Transport. He is also responsible for the licensing of drivers and the licensing and inspection of vehicles.
A Transport Tribunal, chaired by an unofficial and set up under the Road Traffic Ordinance, provides members of the public with a forum for the review of certain decisions. made by the Commissioner for Transport; for instance, refusals to licence vehicles, decisions to cancel hire car permits and decisions to vary passenger service licences.
The Highways Office of the Engineering Development Department is responsible for the design and building of all highways and roads, and their repair and maintenance. The Royal Hong Kong Police Force enforces traffic legislation and prosecutes offenders.
Legislation
The new Road Traffic Ordinance and seven sets of regulations made under the ordinance were brought into effect on August 25, 1984. The Road Traffic (Driving-Offence Points) Ordinance was implemented on the same day.
In amending several other pieces of transport-related legislation to accord with provi- sions of the new road traffic laws, the opportunity was taken to metricate the former. The two Fixed Penalty Ordinances, dealing with parking and moving offences, were reviewed and amended in line with the new road traffic laws, to take effect at the same time.
Amendments to the Public Omnibus Services Ordinance took effect in June and the Public Bus Services Regulations were introduced in August largely to replace regulations under the old Road Traffic Ordinance that were not repeated under the new road traffic legislation.