SUNDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1980
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BUS AND TRAM LANES ALONG FULL LENGTH OF KING'S ROAD
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THE FULL PUBLIC TRANSPORT PRIORITY SCHEME ALONG KING'S ROAD WILL COME INTO OPERATION ON DECEMBER 30.
THIS COVERS THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF KING'S ROAD FROM QUARRY BAY TO CAUSEWAY BAY WITH BUS AND TRAM LANES IN BOTH DIRECTIONS OVER A DISTANCE OF ABOUT FIVE KILOMETRES.
IN AUGUST THIS YEAR, THE FIRST STAGE OF THE SCHEME WAS IMPLEMENTED IN SHAU KEI WAN. THIS STAGE, SAID ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER FOR TRANSPORT, MR FRED MAY, HAD NOT BROUGHT MUCH IMPROVEMENT TO THE BUS AND TRAM JOURNEY TIMES BECAUSE THE LANES RESERVED FOR THEM WERE SHORT. BUT ON THE INTRODUCTION OF THE FULL SCHEME THE LONGER LANES SHOULD BRING ABOUT SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN JOURNEY AND WAITING TIMES FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT USERS, HE SAID.
+WITH THE FULL SCHEME THE BUS AND TRAM EXCLUSIVE LANES WHICH AT PRESENT FINISH JUST WEST OF TAI KOO SHING WILL BE EXTENDED TO CAUSEWAY ROAD NEAR VICTORIA PARK, TRAVELLING TIMES ON BUSES AND TRAMS ARE EXPECTED TO IMPROVE OVER THE WHOLE LENGTH OF THE RESERVE,+ MR MAY SAID.
*THE SCHEME IS INTRODUCED TO IMPROVE PUBLIC TRANSPORT JOURNEY TIMES AND TO MAKE THE MOST EFFECTIVE USE OF AVAILABLE ROAD SPACE. A RECENT SURVEY SHOWED THAT THE AVERAGE SPEED FOR BUSES IS ABOUT 11 KM AN HOUR. IT IS HOPED NOW THAT BUSES WILL BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE A SPEED OF 16 KM/HR. IMPROVED JOURNEY TIME MEANS EACH BUS CAN MAKE MORE TRIPS AND PROVIDE EXTRA PASSENGER-CARRYING CAPACITY.+
REFERRING TO THE TRAMS, MR MAY SAID THAT THE EARLY PAINTING OF SOME SECTIONS OF THE TRAM RESERVE EARLIER IN THE MONTH HAD ENABLED TRAMS TO IMPROVE THEIR SERVICE TO AND FROM SHAU KEI WAN. BEFORE THE RESERVE WAS PROVIDED, ONLY 25 TRAMS AN HOUR COULD TRAVEL EACH DIRECTION. THIS NOW INCREASED TO BETWEEN 35 TO 60 TRAMS AN HOUR AND FURTHER IMPROVEMENT COULD BE EXPECTED WITH THE FULL SCHEME. THROUGHOUT MOST OF THE DAY TRAMS TRAVEL FROM SHAU KEI WAN TO CAUSEWAY BAY IN 30 MINUTES WHEREAS IN THE PAST IT TOOK ANYTHING FROM 45 TO 60 MINUTES.
MR MAY SAID THAT THE HIGH BUS AND TRAM VOLUMES ALONG KING'S ROAD JUSTIFY RESERVED LANES.
+SOME 220 BUSES AND 70 TRAMS IN THE PEAK HOUR SHOULD BENEFIT WHEN THE FULL SCHEME IS IMPLEMENTED, HE SAID.
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