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TUESDAY, JULY 23, 1974
CHARGES, HE SAID, WOULD BE IMPOSED ON BOTH GOODS VEHICLES AND CARGO VESSELS USING FACILITIES AVAILABLE AT THE BASIN.
LORRIES WOULD BE CHARGED A PARKING FEE OF $4 PER HOUR OR PART THEREOF BETWEEN 7 A.M. AND 7 P.M. HOWEVER, IN ORDER TO ENCOURAGE CARGO HANDLING OUTSIDE PEAK HOURS, THIS FEE WOULD BE REDUCED TO $1 BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 7 P.M. AND 7 A.M. EVERYDAY.
HE ADDED THAT A CARGO WORKING PERMIT WHICH COSTS $10 EACH DAY WOULD BE REQUIRED FOR EVERY VESSEL USING THE BASIN.
COMMENTING ON THE CHARGES, MR. TANG REITERATED THAT THESE CONTROL MEASURES, MAKING A FASTER TURN-AROUND OF BOTH LIGHTERS AND VEHICLES POSSIBLE, WOULD RESULT IN SAVINGS OF WAITING TIME, WHICH IN TURN, WOULD MEAN SAVINGS IN DEHURRAGE CHARGES.
HE STRESSED THAT THE SAVINGS WOULD BE MORE THAN SUFFICIENT TO OFFSET THE CHARGES LEVIED, AND SHOULD NOT LEAD TO HIGHER OPERATION COSTS BEING PASSED ON TO THE CONSUMER.
HE ADDED THAT AN EFFICIENT SYSTEM OF CO-ORDINATING THE MOVEMENT OF CARGO SHOULD, IN FACT, REDUCE HANDLING COSTS.
REFERRING TO THE HISTORY OF THE WAN CHAI BASIN, MR. TANG POINTED OUT THAT IN 1966, THE PORT EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE NOTED THAT WORKING CONDITIONS AT VARIOUS PUBLIC CARCO-HANDLING AREAS WERE BECOMING CHAOTIC AS THE VOLUME OF IMPORTS AND EXPORTS ROSE.
IT CONCLUDED THAT THE TIME HAD COME TO IMPOSE CONTROL MEASURES SO AS TO ACHIEVE BETTER CO-ORDINATION ON THE LANDUARD AND SEAWARD SIDES OF THE SEAWALLS BY REDUCING CONGESTION, MUCH OF WHICH WAS CAUSED BY LORRY PARKING.
WHILE RECOMMENDING ACTION BE INITIATED TO IMPROVE THE SITUATION, THE COMMITTEE ALSO FELT THAT IN VIEW OF THE HIGH COST OF CONSTRUCTING SEAVALLS FOR CARGO-WORKING AND THE HIGH VALUE OF THE SITES MADE AVAILABLE FOR THIS PURPOSE, IT WAS REASONABLE TO LEVY CHARGES FROM BOTH LIGHTERS AND LORRIES.
RECOMMENDATIONS BY THIS PARTICULAR COMMITTEE WERE ACCEPTED BY THE PORT COMMITTEE AND LATER CONSIDERED BY THE GOVERNOR-IN-COUNCIL WHO DIRECTED THAT PILOT CONTROL SCHEMES BE INTRODUCED.
ON THE MOVEMENT OF GOODS VEHICLES TO AND FROM THE WAN CHAI BASIN, MR. KAM CHAN-YIU OF THE PWD'S HIGHWAYS OFFICE SAID HIS OFFICE HAD STUDIED THE TRAFFIC FLOU IN THE AREA AND MADE A NUMBER OF RECOMMENDATIONS FOR LORRY DRIVERS.
HE STRESSED THAT THE PURPOSE OF THIS EXERCISE WAS TO PROVIDE SOME GUIDELINES FOR THE DRIVERS TO ENSURE THAT NO UNNECESSARY TRAFFIC CONGESTION WOULD RESULT IN THE VICINITY BECAUSE OF THE OPENING OF THE BASIN.
THESE SUGGESTED