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Monday, June 25, 1973
COMPUTERISED TRAFFIC SYSTEM FOR WEST KOWLOON
**
A computerised traffic system covering some 80 sets of traffic
lights is to be installed in the West Kowloon area.
Tenders for the system are being invited from a range of firms in
five countries.
Initially the scheme will cover Nathan Road, Shanghai Street and
Reclamation Street and parts of Castle Peak Road, Lai Chi Kok Road and
Cheung Sha Wan Road.
For some time the Public Works Department has been looking into
ways of improving traffic flow on the roads.
Although a large programme of arterial road building has been
put in hand, the department has also been aware of the problem of improving
traffic on signal-controlled ground-level roads where the scale of high density
building has made widening of the existing roads almost impossible.
The technique of controlling signals by a central computer has been
used in many cities of the world and the government, after investigating
many of the systems now installed, has decided to go ahead with a computerised
traffic control system in the West Kowloon area.
A team comprising traffic engineers and computer experts was set
up by the Highways Office of the Public Works Department to design and supervise
the installation of the West Kowloon system. This team is located in the Kowloon
Government Offices in Nathan Road, where the central computer will be installed.
/Information