WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1981
7
TRANSPORT DEVELOPMENTS
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THE PAST YEAR SAW A NUMBER OF DEVELOPMENTS ON THE TRANSPORT FRONT IN HONG KONG, THE HON T.S. LO SAID.
SPEAKING DURING THE POLICY DEBATE, MR LO SAID THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE, A TRANSPORT SECRETARIAT WAS ESTABLISHED ALONG THE LINES SUGGESTED BY THE TRANSPORT ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
SECONDLY, HE NOTED THAT THE GOVERNMENT WAS BEGINNING TO ACCEPT THAT IN MAKING A JUDGMENT ON THE ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES, TRANSPORT WAS NO LESS IMPORTANT THAN HOUSING. MOREOVER, HE CONTINUED, IT WAS ALSO BEGINNING TO ADMIT THAT ROAD BUILDING IN THE PAST HAD SUFFERED MUCH MORE FROM BUDGETARY TAILORING THAN WAS PRUDENT.
THIRDLY, THE GOVERNMENT WAS BEGINNING TO REALISE THAT IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE TO DODGE ISSUES SUCH AS HOW TO SLOW DOWN THE GROWTH AND USE OF PRIVATE CARS.
+MOREOVER, THROUGH CONSISTENT T.A.C. PRODDING IT IS EVEN BEGINNING TO RESPOND (NOT ADMITTEDLY WITH A MARKED DEGREE OF ENTHUSIASM) TO SUGGESTIONS THAT IT SHOULD HAVE A GREATER INPUT INTO THE PROPER MANAGEMENT OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT UNDERTAKINGS,+ HE SAID.
FOURTHLY, MR LO POINTED OUT THE GOVERNMENT HAD IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS DESTROYED A FEW MYTHS THAT BADLY NEEDED EXPLODING. THESE INCLUDE THE MYTHS THAT THE TAXI TRADE IS A PROTECTED BUSINESS AND THE GOVERNMENT HAD A RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT IT REMAINED LUCRATIVE BY LIMITING TAXI LICENCES, THAT CONGESTION COULD BE RELIEVED BY NOT INCREASING OFF-STREET PARKING FACILITIES, AND THAT MOST PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN ARE LESS THAN THREE FEET TALL.
+ALL OF THIS IS ENCOURAGING AND I DARE SAY IF IT HAD HAPPENED TEN YEARS AGO OUR TRANSPORT SITUATION WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE TOLERABLE THAN IT IS TODAY, HE SAID.
+ I KNOW IT IS DEPRESSING TO SAY THIS BUT IT WILL TAKE TIME FOR THE TRANSPORT SECRETARIAT TO GET A GRIP ON THINGS.
+BUT I DO SEE A DIM LIGHT AT THE END OF THE LONG TUNNEL. +
TURNING TO THE UMELCO POLICE GROUP OF WHICH HE IS CHAIRMAN, MR LO SAID: +CRITICS OF THE SYSTEM SAY IN EFFECT THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE GROUP PROPERLY TO MONITOR THE WORK OF CAPO BECAUSE CAPO IS BUT A PART OF THE POLICE FORCE. THIS IS A TWO-PRONGED CRITICISM BOTH OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE UMELCO GROUP IN MONITORING AND OF THE INTEGRITY OF CAPO IN DETECTING.
+ IN A SENSE IT IS ALWAYS TRUE TO SAY THAT NO ONE CAN PERFECTLY MONITOR THE WORK OF ANOTHER UNLESS HE ACTUALLY SEES WHAT THE OTHER IS ACTUALLY DOING THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE OF THE TIME THAT HE IS DOING IT. THIS LINE OF REASONING IS CHILDISH AND NEED NOT BE PURSUEL. +
/MH LO