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FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 1981
THE USA OVERTOOK JAPAN AND BECAME THE LARGEST MARKET FOR HONG KONG'S AIRBORNE RE-EXPORTS, WITH A VALUE OF $1 070 MILLION (AN INCREASE OF $244 MILLION OR 29 PER CENT).
INCREASES IN AIRBORNE RE-EXPORTS WERE ALSO REGISTERED FOR THE UK (BY 398 MILLION OR 209 PER CENT), SINGAPORE (BY $345 MILLION OR 55 PER CENT), TAIWAN (BY $185 MILLION OR 23 PER CENT) AND SWITZERLAND (BY $134 MILLION OR 53 PER CENT). AIRBORNE RE-EXPORTS TO JAPAN CONTINUED TO DECLINE (BY $168 MILLION OR 14 PER CENT).
PUBLIC TRANSPORT PRIORITY SCHEMES STUDIES
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THE GOVERNMENT HAS APPOINTED A CONSULTANT FIRM TO INVESTIGATE AND IMPLEMENT A NUMBER OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT PRIORITY SCHEMES WHICH ARE CONSIDERED TO BE ESSENTIAL FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE SERVICES.
AN AGREEMENT TO THIS EFFECT WAS SIGNED TODAY BETWEEN MR HAROLD BEATON, PRINCIPAL GOVERNMENT HIGHWAY ENGINEER OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT AND MR JOHN WHITEFIELD, A PARTNER OF MOTT, HAY AND ANDERSON FAR EAST.
UNDER THE AGREEMENT, THE CONSULTANT FIRM WILL CARRY OUT TRAFFIC STUDIES AT SOME 50 LOCATIONS WHERE BUS SERVICES ARE SAID TO HAVE EXPERIENCED DELAY AND WHERE PUBLIC TRANSPORT PRIORITY MEASURES ARE CONSIDERED ADVANTAGEOUS.
THE FIRM WILL HAVE 18 MONTHS TO COMPLETE ALL INVESTIGATION, PLANNING, DESIGN AND SUPERVISION OF CONSTRUCTION WORKS FOR THOSE SCHEMES FOR WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE CONSIDERED FEASIBLE.
THE APPOINTMENT OF CONSULTANTS FOLLOWED A DECISION BY THE TRANSPORT ADVISORY COMMITTEE IN OCTOBER LAST YEAR THAT ALL THE SCHEMES SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED AND ALL THOSE FOUND FEASIBLE SHOULD BE IMPLEMENTED WITHIN 18 MONTHS.
+THE NEED FOR THE PUBLIC TRANSPORT PRIORITY MEASURES STEMS FROM THE RAPID GROWTH IN VEHICULAR TRAFFIC IN HONG KONG, SAID MR BEATON.
+THE INCREASING VOLUME OF TRAFFIC HAS RESULTED IN A DECLINE IN THE LEVEL OF SERVICE PROVIDED BY PUBLIC TRANSPORT, A MODE WHICH IS AN EFFICIENT USER OF ROAD SPACE.+
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