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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1980
COMPLAINTS UNIT WILL IMPROVE TRANSPORT POLICY
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THE PUBLIC MUST NOT BE GIVEN THE FALSE HOPE THAT THE NEWLY ESTABLISHED TRANSPORT COMPLAINTS UNIT WOULD BE ABLE TO PERFORM MIRACLES AND SOLVE TRANSPORT PROBLEMS OVERNIGHT, SAID THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF THE UNIT, MR JAMES K.C. KWAN TODAY (FRIDAY).
SPEAKING AT A PRESS CONFERENCE. HE SAID IT WOULD BE LUDICROUS TO EXPECT HIS SMALL UNIT TO BE CAPABLE OF PROVIDING AN IMMEDIATE ANSWER TO SO MANY LONG STANDING TRANSPORT PROBLEMS.
+HOWEVER,+ HE WENT ON, BOTH THE CHAIRMAN OF THE TRANSPORT ADVISORY COMMITTEE, MR T.S. LO, AND MYSELF ARE CONVINCED THAT THE GATHERING OF TRANSPORT COMPLAINTS AND SUGGESTIONS, AND A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY AND ANALYSIS OF THEM BY THE UNIT WILL PROVIDE POLICY POINTERS WHICH WILL ENABLE THE TAC TO ADVISE GOVERNMENT ON THE FORMULATION OF LONG AND MEDIUM TERM TRANSPORT POLICY AND TO CHANGE EXISTING POLICY IF NEEDED.+
THE NEW UNIT, WHICH WILL MONITOR ALL TRANSPORT COMPLAINTS AND SUGGESTIONS IS ANSWERABLE TO THE TRANSPORT ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
MR KWAN SAID TRANSPORT WAS ONE OF THE MORE SERIOUS SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC PROBLEMS IN HONG KONG AND IT WAS UNDOUBTEDLY THE MOST COMMON SUBJECT OF CONVERSATION FOR THE MAN IN THE STREET.
+PEOPLE IN HONG KONG HAVE GOT USED TO HEARING TRANSPORT COMPLAINTS ON THE RADIO AND READING ABOUT THEM IN THE NEWSPAPERS,+ HE SAID, BUT PEOPLE OFTEN WONDER WHETHER THESE COMPLAINTS OR SUGGESTIONS ARE REALLY EFFECTIVE, PARTICULARLY AS SO MANY TRANSPORT PROBLEMS IN HONG KONG DO NOT HAVE IMMEDIATE SOLUTIONS.+
+GOVERNMENT REALISES THE EXISTING SHORT COMINGS IN SPLITTING RESPONSIBILITIES BETWEEN VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS DEALING WITH PROBLEMS RELATING TO TRAFFIC OR TRANSPORT, NOTABLY THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT, POLICE, HIGHWAYS OFFICE OF PWD, ECONOMIC SERVICES BRANCH AND ENVIRONMENT BRANCH. WHILST THESE DEPARTMENTS AND BRANCHES HAVE OFTEN DEALT WITH COMPLAINTS OR SUGGESTIONS ON TRAFFIC OR TRANSPORT MATTERS, THE TENDENCY HAS ALWAYS BEEN SUCH THAT EACH CASE IS BEING DEALT WITH IN ISOLATION AND IT SELDOM AFFECTS TRANSPORT POLICY OR OPERATION.
+AS THE NAME SUGGESTS,+ SAID MR KWAN, THE UNIT WOULD PRIMARILY DEAL WITH ALL COMPLAINTS ON TRANSPORT MATTERS FROM VARIOUS SOURCES.+
+BUT THAT IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY, HE SAID, IT MUST BE EMPHASISED THAT DEALING WITH COMPLAINTS IS NOT AN END IN ITSELF (LIKE IT USED TO BE), BUT A MEANS TO AN END. IT IS THE ACCUMULATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE COMPLAINTS AS INPUT TO POLICY MAKING THAT IS THE ULTIMATE AIM.+
/MR KWAN