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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1979
ON GOVERNMENT'S EFFORTS IN IMPROVING THE OVERALL TRANSPORT SITUATION IN HONG KONG, MR. JONES SAID AN IMPRESSIVE ROAD BUILDING PROGRAMME HAD BEEN BUILT UP AND STEPS WERE BEING TAKEN TO MAKE MORE ECONOMIC USE OF THE ROADS,
+STEADILY YEAR BY YEAR WE HAVE BEEN EXPANDING THE EXTENT AND THE QUALITY OF THE ROAD NETWORK AND THIS YEAR WE WILL BE SPENDING WELL OVER $350 MILLION ON NEW ROADS,+ MR. JONES SAID.
+NOW WE ARE BEGINNING TO INTRODUCE AREA TRAFFIC CONTROL WHICH LINKS TRAFFIC SIGNALS TO A COMPUTER AND SETS SIGNAL PHASINGS ACCORDING TO THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC.+
+MODERN TRAFFIC SURVEILLANCE CONTROL SYSTEMS ARE ALSO BEING INTRODUCED ON OUR GROWING NETWORK OF HIGH-CAPACITY EXPRESS_ROADS, TUNNELS, GRADE-SEPARATED INTERCHANGES, ELEVATED HIGHWAYS AND LIMITED ACCESS ROADS,+ HE SAID.
MR. JONES ALSO SAID THAT AS HONG KONG MOVED INTO THE 80'S IT MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO GO ON ACCEPTING AN AVERAGE OF 11 PER CENT PER ANNUM INCREASE IN PRIVATE CAR OWNERSHIP AND STEPS MIGHT HAVE TO BE TAKEN TO RESTRAIN THE DEMAND IF UNACCEPTABLE ROAD CONGESTION WAS TO BE AVOIDED.
+AND THE PROBLEMS OF HOW TO COPE WITH THE EVER GROWING NUMBERS OF LORRIES AND GOODS VEHICLES WILL ALSO HAVE TO BE CONFRONTED,+ HE ADDED.
MR. JONES SAID THE JEREMIADS WHO ACCUSED THE GOVERNMENT OF HAVING NO TRANSPORT POLICY, OR OF NOT HAVING A RATIONAL POLICY, WERE WRONG.
*THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE PRESENT DISSATISFACTION, AS I SEE IT. IS THAT. BECAUSE OF THE TIME TAKEN TO BUILD NEW FACILITIES AND THE DISRUPTION CAUSED BY THE CONSTRUCTION, THINGS HAVE TO GET WORSE BEFORE THEY CAN GET BETTER,+ HE EXPLAINED.
EXAMPLES OF SUCH PROJECTS INCLUDE THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE M.T.R., THE BUILDING OF THE ELEVATED ROAD IN HAPPY VALLEY FROM THE ABERDEEN TUNNEL AND THE EAST KOWLOON WAY NEAR THE AIRPORT TUNNEL, MR. JONES SAID.
+YET ALL THESE ARE IMMENSE PROJECTS WHICH, WHEN THEY ARE OPEN, WILL BRING ABOUT MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS IN TRAFFIC FLOW,+ MR. JONES ADDED.
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