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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 1979
THE WHOLE TAXI POLICY WILL BE REVIEWED LATER THIS YEAR.
AS REGARDS PRIVATE CARS, MR. WONG IS CORRECT THAT THE WHITE PAPER DOES NOT PROPOSE SPECIFIC MEASURES TO CUT DOWN NUMBERS, BUT IT INDICATES (PARAGRAPH 157) THAT TO AVOID CONGESTION WE SHOULD REDUCE THE CAR REGISTRATION GROWTH RATE AS NECESSARY AGAINST A BACKGROUND OF INCREASING REGISTRATIONS ON THE ONE HAND AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW ROADS ON THE OTHER.
AS TO THE RATE OF GROWTH IN REGISTRATION, THIS COUNCIL MAY WISH TO NOTE THAT IN JUNE 1979 THERE WERE 16 PER CENT MORE CARS ON OUR ROADS THAN A YEAR EARLIER.
DEBATE ON WHITE PAPER ON INTERNAL TRANSPORT POLICY
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NO AMOUNT OF NEGATIVE CONSTRAINT ON THE USE OF PRIVATE CARS OR TAXIS TO REDUCE ROAD CONGESTION WILL INDUCE PEOPLE TO SWITCH TO BUSES, UNLESS THESE ARE COMFORTABLE, CLEAN, SAFE, EASILY AVAILABLE, AND LESS OVERCROWDED, THE HON. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
HE WAS SPEAKING AT THE OPENING OF THE DEBATE ON THE WHITE PAPER ON INTERNAL TRANSPORT POLICY IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL THIS AFTERNOON.
MR. CHEONG-LEEN SAID THE MOST GLARING FLAW OF THE WHITE PAPER WAS ITS INABILITY TO APPRECIATE THIS POINT AND THE SAD CONCLUSION WAS THAT THOSE WHO DRAFTED THE PAPER WERE NOT ATTUNED TO THE NEEDS AND SUFFERINGS OF OUR PATIENT TRAVELLING PUBLIC.+
HE ASKED WHY THERE HAD NOT BEEN A REALISTIC MEDIUM-TERM PROJECTION OF NEW BUS REQUIREMENTS TO MEET EXPANSION AND WONDERED WHETHER THERE WAS A PLAN TO REPLACE THE OLDER BUSES.
ANOTHER CRITICISM BY MR. CHEONG-LEEN WAS THE LACK OF TRAINED AND EXPERIENCED BUS DRIVERS WHO WOULD NEED TO BE ATTRACTED BY BETTER WAGES AND WORKING CONDITIONS.
THE SHORTAGE OF DRIVERS PUT 50 KMB BUSES, OR THREE PER CENT OF ITS FLEET OUT OF SERVICE LAST YEAR, HE SAID.
HE SUGGESTED A LOOK INTO THE EFFECTIVENESS, IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST, OF GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATION ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE BÚS COMPANIES.
+I THINK THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD WAKE UP TO THE UNPLEASANT FACT THAT ITS POWERS TO SUSPEND THE BUS FRANCHISES IS NO MORE THAN A 'PAPER TIGER' THREAT,+ HE SAID.
THE GOVERNMENT