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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 2, 1978
PROPOSAL TO MAKE TWO NT MAIN ROUTES ONE-WAY BOUND NOT FEASIBLE
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THE GOVERNMENT TODAY REJECTED A PROPOSAL FOR MAKING TUEN MUN ROAD STAGE 1 ONE WAY EAST BOUND AND CASTLE PEAK, ROAD ONE WAY „EST. FOUND.
REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY THE HON. T.S, LO IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY, THE ACTING DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS, THE HON. WILLIAM BELL, SAID THAT THE PROPOSAL IMPLIED THAT TUEN MUN ROAD WAS INHERENTLY UNSAFE.
+THIS IS CERTAINLY NOT THE CASE, AS THE ROAD HAS BEEN DESIGNED AND CONSTRUCTED TO THE HIGHEST STANDARDS, HE SAID.
MR. BELL POINTED OUT THAT THE ROOT CAUSES OF THE ACCIDENTS ON TUEN MUN ROAD WERE IN THE MAIN ATTRIBUTABLE TO EXCESSIVE SPEEDING AND A BLATANT DISREGARD OF THE SIMPLE RULE OF NOT CROSSING THE DOUBLE WHITE LINE WHEN OVER-TAKING.
+ALTHOUGH THE INTRODUCTION OF A ONE WAY SYSTEM WOULD UNDOUBTEDLY ELIMINATE ACCIDENTS INVOLVING HEAD-ON COLLISIONS, THERE ARE MANY DISADVANTAGES TO THE PROPOSAL, HE ADDED.
MR. BELL CITED THE MORE IMPORTANT DISADVANTAGES AS FOLLOWS:
* PUBLIC TRANSPORT WOULD BE UNABLE TO SERVE EXISTING DEVELOPMENT AND RECREATIONAL AREAS ALONG CASTLE PEAK ROAD EXCEPT IN A WESTERLY DIRECTION.
* SINCE THE INTER-CHANGE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN CASTLE
PEAK ROAD AND TUEN MUN ROAD ARE OVER FIVE KILOMETRES APART, DETOURS OF UP TO 10 KILOMETRES WOULD BE NECESSARY FOR THOSE REQUIRING ACCESS TO PREMISES IN CASTLE PEAK ROAD.
*
EMERGENCY SERVICES WOULD ALSO BE INVOLVED IN SIMILAR DETOURS.
MR. BELL SAID THAT ON BALANCE THEREFORE THE GOVERNMENT CONSIDERED THAT THE PROPOSAL SHOULD NOT EE ADOPTED.
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