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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1976
TUEN MUN NEW TOWN TRANSPORT STUDY ******
THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT IS TO CONDUCT A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF TUEN MUN NEW TOWN'S FUTURE TRANSPORT NEEDS TO ENSURE SAFE, CONVENIENT AND ECONOMICAL MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE AND GOODS WITHIN THE NEW TOWN.
THE STUDY WILL COVER THE WHOLE SPECTRUM OF LAND AND WATER COMMUNICATIONS, INCLUDING PUBLIC AND PRIVA TRANSPORT, GOODS MOVEMENT, PARKING, CYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIAN JEEDS, FERRIES, ROAD NETWORKS AND INTERCHANGES, AS WELL AS A POSSIBLE RAIL LINK.
INVITATION LETTERS ARE BEING SENT TO SELECTED TRANSPORT CONSULTANCY FIRMS TO SUBMIT DETAILED PROPOSALS FOR THE STUDY.
TUEN MUN NEW TOWN'S PROJECT MANAGER, MR. CHAN NAI-KEONG OF THE P.W.D.'S NEW TERRITORIES DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, SAID TODAY THE STUDY WAS GEARED TOWARDS DEVISING THE BEST TRANSPORT SYSTEM POSSIBLE TO SERVE THE NEW TOWN'S EVENTUAL POPULATION OF ABOUT HALF-A-MILLION.
+DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW TOWN IS PROGRESSING AT A RAPID PACE AND ALREADY SOME 41,000 PEOPLE LIVE IN THE AREA,+ HE SAID. +WORKS ARE WELL IN HAND TO PROVIDE FACILITIES FOR ANOTHER 160,000 PEOPLE WITHIN THE NEXT FOUR TO FIVE YEARS AND OBVIOUSLY ADEQUATE PROVISIONS MUST BE MADE TO ENABLE THEM TO MOVE EASILY BETWEEN THE IR HOMES, WORK, SHOPS AND PLACES OF ENTERTAINMENT.+
IN LINE WITH THIS PRINCIPLE, P..D. PLANNERS HAVE DEVISED A COMPREHENSIVE ROAD NETWORK FOR THE NEW TOWN, COMPRISING PRIMARY, DISTRICT AND LOCAL ROADS. THE PRIMARY ROADS WERE INTENDED FOR VEHICLES TRAVELLING BETWEEN PLACES FAR APART, WHILE THE DISTRICT ROAD NETWORK WOULD CHANNEL TRAFFIC INTO VARIOUS PARTS OF THE TOWN. THE LOCAL ROADS WOULD PROVIDE ACCESS TO INDIVIDUAL PREMISES AND WOULD FEED INTO THE DISTRICT ROADS.
MR. CHAN SAID PUBLIC TRANSPORT WAS A KEY ELEMENT IN THE PLAN AND A SPECIAL RESERVE FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT -- KNOWN AS EXCLUSIVE PUBLIC TRANSPORT RIGHT OF WAY (E.P.T.R.C.W.) HAD BEEN INCORPORATED INTO THE TOWN PLAN.
+BASICALLY, THIS IS A STRIP OF LAND RESERVE WITHIN THE DISTRICT ROADS FOR THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT, AND IS SIMILAR IN CONCEPT TO THE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SCHEME IN THE MID-LEVELS ON HONG KONG ISLAND. THE IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE IS THAT THE E.P.T.R.C.W. 13 PRE-PLANNED AND WILL BE ON A MUCH BIGGER AND WIDER SCALE, HE SAID.
IT WAS ENVISAGED, HE ADDED, THAT THE E.P.T.R.C.W. MOULD RUN PRINCIPALLY ALONG THE DISTRICT DISTRIBUTORY ROADS AND EXTEND FOR SOME 12,000 METRES, SERVING THE MAIN RESIDENTIAL AND INDUSTRIAL AREAS OF THE NEW TOWN, THE PLAN ALSO PROVIDED FOR THE NETWORK TO BRANCH OFF INTO AREAS WHERE MAJOR PUBLIC HOUSING ESTATES ARE TO BE LOCATED.
AR. CHAN