WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1981
MR JONES POINTED OUT THAT THE WHOLE OF THE DIFFICULT SECTION THROUGH SHAU KEI WAN AND QUARRY BAY WAS BEING EXAMINED IN DETAIL TO SEEK ACCEPTABLE SOLUTIONS.
+THE BUS-ONLY LANES IN THIS SECTION WILL ONLY BE RESTORED WHEN SUCH SOLUTIONS HAVE BEEN FOUND AND ARE THOROUGHLY TESTED,+ HE SAID.
MR JONES THOUGHT IT WAS AN EXAGGERATION TO LABEL THE WHOLE OF THE KING'S ROAD PUBLIC TRANSPORT PRIORITY SCHEME A FAILURE.
SOME OF THE MEASURES IN THE SCHEME HAVE BEEN RELATIVELY SUCCESSFUL, HE SAID,
AMONG THE SUCCESSES WERE
* A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE SPEED OF TRAMS,
SO THAT THEY CARRY 40 000 TO 50 000 MORE PASSENGERS PER DAY THAN BEFORE,
* AN IMPROVEMENT IN BUS SPEEDS EASTBOUND ALONG
VIRTUALLY THE WHOLE KING'S ROAD AND ALSO WESTBOUND FROM NORTH POINT TO CENTRAL.
MR JONES EMPHASISED THAT WHAT WAS INVOLVED WAS A COMPLEX TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SCHEME AND THAT THERE WERE OVER 100 ROAD JUNCTIONS ALONG THE WHOLE LENGTH OF THE SYSTEM.
EACH OF THE ROAD JUNCTIONS HAS DIFFERENT CHARACTERISTICS AND INVOLVES A CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF VARIABLES IN TERMS OF TRAFFIC BEHAVIOUR.
+ IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE FULLY TO ACCOUNT FOR ALL THESE VARIABLES IN ADVANCE AND SO IT WAS NOT UNEXPECTED THAT MODIFICATIONS WOULD NEED TO BE MADE TO THE SCHEME IN THE LIGHT OF ACTUAL EXPERIENCE WITH ITS WORKING, HE SAID.
POLICY ON PUBLIC STANDPIPES EXPLAINED
*****
THE GOVERNMENT HAS THE APPROVED POLICY OF INSTALLING WATER STANDPIPES TO PROVIDE FREE WATER SUPPLIES TO ALL SQUATTER AREAS ON CURRENT RECOMMENDATIONS BY CITY DISTRICT OFFICERS AND NT DISTRICT OFFICERS.
THIS WAS DISCLOSED BY THE ACTING DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS, THE HON JACK STEAN IN REPLY TO QUESTIONS BY THE HON STEPHEN CHEONG AT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.
MR STEAN EXPLAINED THAT THE PROVISION OF STANDPIPES WAS ON THE BASIS OF ONE FOR EVERY 500 PERSONS WITHOUT METERED SUPPLY.
/HOWEVER, THE
4