FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 1982
NO CAUSE FOR DESPAIR SEEN AT NT TRANSPORT PROBLEM
*****
THE DEPUTY REGIONAL SECRETARY FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES, DR RICHARD BUTLER, SAID TODAY (FRIDAY) HE SAW NO CAUSE FOR DESPAIR AT THE NEW TERRITORIES TRANSPORT PROBLEM.
DR BUTLER, WHO SPENT MANY YEARS WITH THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT, WAS SPEAKING AT A LIONS CLUB OF HONG KONG CENTRAL LUNCH MEETING.
+THE WORST PROBLEM, IT SEEMS TO ME, IS THE ROAD CONGESTION CENTERING ON THE CROSS HARBOUR TUNNEL AND STRETCHING BACK TO LION ROCK TUNNEL, THE LUNG CHEUNG ROAD AND WEST KOWLOON, HE SAID.
+1 DON'T MYSELF SEE ANY WAY TO EXPAND CAPACITY ON A SIGNIFICANT SCALE IN THIS CORRIDOR.+
THE 1979 WHITE PAPER ON TRANSPORT POLICY INDICATED A REAL NEED FOR GENERAL RESTRAINTS ON ROAD USE, WITH A VIEW TO KEEPING THE LESS NECESSARY MOTOR VEHICLES OFF OUR MORE CONGESTED ROADS AT CONGESTION-PRONE TIMES.
+CLEARLY, THAT WOULD HELP IN REDUCING CONGESTION ON THIS PARTICULAR ARTERIAL CONNEXION, DR BUTLER SAID.
+ IT IS ALSO RELEVANT THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS TAKING A HARD LOOK AT THE POSSIBILITY OF A LEI YUE MUN BRIDGE WHICH, TIED IN WITH THE PRESENTLY-CONSTRUCTED ISLAND EASTERN CORRIDOR ROAD AND NEW ROAD LINKS ON THE KOWLOON SIDE, COULD DO A GREAT DEAL OF GOOD BY THE LATER 1980'S.
+REALLY, OF COURSE, WE NEED A WESTERN HARBOUR CROSSING, BUT THAT WOULD BE SO EXPENSIVE THAT IT DOES NOT SEEM TO ME TO BE VERY LIKELY TO BE CONSTRUCTED IN THE PRESENT DECADE. FOR IMMEDIATE RELIEF, I THINK THAT WE HAVE TO LOOK TO THE MTR AND KCR.+
ON WHAT HE CALLED THE RAILWAY SITUATION IN THE NEW TERRITORIES+ DR BUTLER SAID BEFORE MID-YEAR WE SHOULD SEE THE OPENING OF THE TSUEN WAN EXTENSION OF THE MTR AND THE ELECTRIFICATION OF THE KCR TO SHA TIN.
BOTH THESE EVENTS SHOULD HAVE A TREMENDOUSLY BENEFICIAL IMPACT ON LIFE IN SHA TIN AND TSUEN WAN AND THE TWO RAILWAYS, IN COMBINATION, SHOULD HELP EASE THE STRAIN ON THE CROSS HARBOUR TUNNEL PINCH-POINT BY INDUCING PEOPLE TO USE PUBLIC TRANSPORT WHICH IS UNCLOGGED BY ROAD CONGESTION.
CRITICAL TO THE SUCCESS OF BOTH KCR ELECTRIFICATION, WHICH WOULD BE EXTENDED TO LO WU DURING 1983, AND THE ENLARGED MTR WOULD BE THE CAPACITY OF THE KCR/MTR INTERCHANGE AT KOWLOON TONG, THE HUNG HOM INTERCHANGE BETWEEN KCR, FERRIES AND BUSES AND THE ARGYLE STREET CROSS-PLATFORM INTERCHANGE FOR PASSENGERS ON THE KWUN TONG LINE OF THE MTR.
+THESE SENSITIVE POINTS WILL, I BELIEVE, BE PLACED UNDER CLOSE EXAMINATION DURING 1982 AND SUBSEQUENT YEARS TO SEE JUST WHAT CAPACITY CONSTRAINTS THEY IMPOSE ON THE JOINT RAILWAY SYSTEM AND WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT THEM.
/+WE WILL
L