K 21
needed. The position in Kowloon is somewhat better though the service on No. 9 route to Yuen Long and the Castle Peak road bathing beaches is inadequate. Several other routes are overcrowded at rush hours.
113. About 60% of the public rickshas have been fitted with pneumatic tyres, and the remainder will be so fitted in 1940. Taxicabs and public motor cars compare favourably with any in the Far East.
114. Many complaints have been received of the noise nuisance in the centre of the city. A satisfactory solution of this problem has not yet been found, but the Police Department and the Hong Kong Automobile Association favour the introduction of a 24 hour "silent zone" in this area.
115. The following prosecutions were instituted under the Traffic Regulations (Section 3-Ordinance 40 of 1912):-
Year Prosecutions Convictions Withdrawn Discharged/ Dismissed Total amount of fines 1939 6,951 6,675 116 108 $32,644.70 1938 6,703 6,357 105 126 $29,381.90116. There were no prosecutions for manslaughter in 1939 as against two in 1938.
117. The following table shows various items of the work of the Traffic Department:
1938 1939 Persons examined as motor drivers 1,856 2,885 Persons passed as motor drivers 1,606 2,404 Public motor vehicles examined and passed 5,216 6,217 Public motor vehicles examined and rejected 478 619 Commercial motor vehicles examined and passed 7,787 7,865 Commercial motor vehicles examined and rejected 802 1,051 Motor drivers licences suspended 43 22 Motor drivers licences cancelled 2 2118. The number of motor vehicles operated by the Police Department is as follows: motor vans 13; motor cars 4; motor cycle combinations 11; motor cycle solos 12.
119. The Traffic law of the Colony is based on The Vehicles and Traffic Regulations Ordinance No. 40 of 1912. During the year H.E. the Governor appointed a Traffic Legislation Committee to consider a revision of the traffic legislation. The work of the Committee had not been completed at the end of the year.