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TRANSPORT
On Hong Kong Island, almost all the signalised junctions on the northern shore, from Kennedy Town to Shau Kei Wan, are under the control of the Hong Kong Area Traffic Control (ATC) system. The system is being expanded to cover Chai Wan and the Southern District. At the end of the year, 254 junctions on Hong Kong Island were under ATC control, and 37 ATC-related, outdoor Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras were in
use.
The existing Kowloon ATC system, which has been in operation for more than 17 years, is being replaced by a new system to increase capacity and upgrade technology. One notable feature of the new system is 'traffic adaptive control', through which signal timings can be automatically adjusted in response to the changes in on-street traffic flow. The project involves replacing the central computer system and the on-street traffic signal controllers. At the end of the year, 85 per cent of the signalised junctions in Kowloon had been commissioned under the new system. The project will be completed in 1995. In addition, a consultancy study on the expansion of the Kowloon, ATC-related, CCTV system commenced in October. The study will lead to the installation of 40 more cameras in Kowloon to monitor traffic.
A new ATC system is also being installed to control traffic signals in Tsuen Wan new town and to expand the ATC to other new towns in the territory. At the end of the year, 85 signalised junctions in Tsuen Wan, Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi were under computer control. The final system, to be completed by the end of 1995, will include traffic adaptive control --and a CCTV system with some 20 out-station cameras.
Work on expanding the ATC to Sha Tin new town started during the year. The related replacement of existing controllers and commissioning to the ATC system will start in mid- 1995.
To improve the response time to accidents and vehicle breakdowns, and to advise motorists and guide them to alternative routes during such incidents, a Traffic Surveillance and Information System is being installed on Tuen Mun Road. The first stage of the project, involving the installation of a CCTV system covering the whole length of the road, started in July and is to be completed in mid-1995.
Investigation and design work for the second stage, involving Automatic Incident Detection and Traffic Information Signs, has commenced. The second stage will become operational in 1997.
Parking
The management and operation of on-street, metered parking spaces was contracted-out to a private operator in March to improve efficiency.
On-street parking, usually metered, is provided only at locations where traffic conditions permit. At the end of the year, there were 13 000 metered spaces in the territory, most of which operate between 8 am and midnight from Mondays to Saturdays. Their operation in areas of high demand has been extended to include Sundays and public holidays, to facilitate a better turnover of parking spaces. The meter charges were increased to $2 per 15 minutes in November, starting with the busiest areas.
The government also owns 14 multi-storey carparks, which provide 8 000 parking spaces. They are operated and managed by two private companies under two separate management
contracts.