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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1976
THIS, HE POINTED OUT, WOULD VERY CONSIDERABLY REDUCE ANY BENEFITS WHICH LIFTS WOULD PROVIDE TO THE HANDICAPPED.
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GIVEN THE VERY DUBIOUS BENEFITS LIKELY TO RESULT FROM THE INSTALLATION OF LIFTS, THE THIRD REASON THE COST BECAME RELEVANT, HE ADDED.
+ THE CORPORATION HAS ESTIMATED THAT TO INSTAL LIFTS AT STATIONS ON THE MODIFIED INITIAL SYSTEM ALONE COULD COST WELL OVER $30 MILLION.
+THIS ADDITIONAL COST, WHICH WOULD PROBABLY HAVE TO BE MET FROM PUBLIC FUNDS, WOULD BE OUT OF ALL PROPORTION TO THE BENEFIT CONFERRED, MR. JONES SAID.
IN REPLY TO ANOTHER QUESTION FROM MR. WONG, HE SAID THE POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF CONSTRUCTION NOISE, PARTICULARLY FROM PERCUSSIVE PILING, ON LOCAL COMMUNITIES HAD BEEN CAREFULLY STUDIED DURING THE PLANNING OF THE MTR.
+ THE CONTRACT DOCUMENTS REQUIRED THAT CONTRACTORS SHOULD TAKE ALL REASONABLE MEASURES TO REDUCE THE NOISE OF THE IR PLANT AND EQUIPMENT, AND STRINGENT LIMITATIONS WERE PLACED ON THE NOISE FROM CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 11 P.M. AND 6 A.M.
+CERTAIN LOCATIONS WERE ALSO IDENTIFIED AS BEING PARTICULARLY SENSITIVE TO NOISE AND THE CONTRACT SPECIFICATIONS RESTRICTED THE USE OF PERCUSSIVE PILING IN THESE PLACES TO THOSE TIMES OF THE DAY WHEN THEY WOULD LEAST AFFECT THE SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT, HE SAID.
FOR INSTANCE, HE ADDED, THE USE OF PERCUSSIVE PILING IS NOT PERMITTED CLOSE TO SCHOOLS DURING SCHOOL HOURS.
MR. JONES SAID PARTICULAR PROBLEMS HAVE ARISEN IN CERTAIN AREAS SINCE THE WORK STARTED AND THESE HAVE HAD TO BE DEALT WITH ON THE SPOT AS THEY EMERGED.
AS AN EXAMPLE, HE SAID SCHOOLING IN MING YING COLLEGE AND HOLY TRINITY COLLEGE WAS UPSET BY THE PARTICULARLY HIGH LEVEL OF NOISE PRODUCED IN THE SHEK KIP ME! STATION BECAUSE OF THE USE OF HEAVY ROCK BREAKING PLANT.
+FOLLOWING DISCUSSIONS WITH THE SCHOOL AUTHORITIES, THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY CORPORATION HAS PROVIDED, AT ITS OWN EXPENSE, CERTAIN EQUIPMENT IN THE TWO SCHOOLS, INCLUDING AIR-CONDITIONING, VENTILATION FANS AND VOICE AMPLIFYING EQUIPMENT AND THIS IS CONSIDERABLY EASING THE PROBLEM,+ HE SAID.
/KR. JONES