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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1982
AREA TRAFFIC CONTROL FOR HK ISLAND
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THE HIGHWAYS OFFICE OF THE ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT IS TO EXTEND THE AREA TRAFFIC CONTROL (ATC) SYSTEM TO THE NORTH-EAST PART OF HONG KONG ISLAND FOLLOWING ITS SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION IN WEST KOWLOON.
AS PART OF AN INITIAL EXPANSION TO PROVIDE ATC FACILITIES ON THE ISLAND, A $10-MILLION CONTRACT WAS SIGNED TODAY. CONTRACT IS FOR THE SUPPLY AND INSTALLATION OF EQUIPMENT TO
THE ENHANCE THE EXISTING KOWLOON SYSTEM.
THE PRINCIPAL GOVERNMENT HIGHWAY ENGINEER, MR HAROLD BEATON, SIGNED ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT AND MR JIM LUCK, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF GEC TRAFFIC AUTOMATION LTD. OF ENGLAND WHICH SUPPLIED THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT FOR THE KOWLOON SYSTEM, SIGNED FOR THE COMPANY.
MR BEATON SAID THAT BECAUSE THE INITIAL ISLAND SYSTEM WOULD USE THE SAME TYPE OF EQUIPMENT WHICH HAD PROVED SUCCESSFUL IN KOWLOON, IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE TO BRING THE ADVANTAGES OF ATC TO THE EASTERN HALF OF HONG KONG ISLAND IN THE SHORTEST POSSIBLE TIME.
THE HONG KONG INITIAL SYSTEM IS SCHEDULED TO BE CONTROLLING TRAFFIC BY THE MIDDLE OF 1983.
MR BEATON SAID: THE HONG KONG ISLAND SCHEME IS PART OF THE DEPARTMENT'S LONG TERM PLAN TO USE THE MOST UP-TO-DATE TRAFFIC ENGINEERING AIDS TO KEEP THE TERRITORY'S TRAFFIC MOVING.
+PLANNING HAS ALSO BEGUN FOR AN AREA TRAFFIC CONTROL
SYSTEM TO COVER THE WHOLE OF HONG KONG ISLAND.
THE INITIAL ISLAND SYSTEM EQUIPMENT, TO CONTROL 80
TRAFFIC SIGNALS, WILL BE INSTALLED IN THE EXISTING COMPUTER CENTRE AT THE KOWLOON GOVERNMENT OFFICES, NATHAN ROAD, AND LINKED TO THE ISLAND BY A CABLE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM.
WITH THE OPENING OF THE WEST KOWLOON SYSTEM IN 1977,
THE ENGINEERING DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT BECAME THE FIRST USER OF A COMPUTER-CONTROLLED AREA TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM IN SOUTH EAST ASIA,
MR BEATON SAID THAT THE FLEXIBILITY OF SUCH SYSTEMS WAS PARTICULARLY USEFUL WHEN THE ROAD NETWORK AND TRAFFIC PATTERNS WERE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
AS AN EXAMPLE, HE SAID, MONG KOK WAS KNOWN TO BE AN AREA OF HEAVY TRAFFIC FLOW, BUT SUBSTANTIAL TRAFFIC JAMS WERE RARE, AND TRAFFIC USUALLY FLOWED FREELY.
THE TRAFFIC CONTROL AND SURVEILLANCE DIVISION OF THE HIGHWAYS OFFICE WILL SUPERVISE THE CONTRACT.
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