WEDNESDAY,
POP.
IRST AND FOREMOST CONSIDERATION, HE SAID, SHOULD BE TO HE STANDARD AND TO EXPAND THE SERVICES OF PUBLIC
OR HO NOTED THAT IF ONLY 25 PER CENT OF THE NUMBER OF PRIVATE MOTORISTS WERE TO GIVE UP USING THEIR VEHICLES, IT WOULD MEAN AN ADDITION OF AT LEAST 54 000 PEOPLE USING VARIOUS MEANS OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT.
*THIS SUDDEN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF COMMUTERS CALLS FOR THE NEED FOR AT LEAST 500 MORE BUSES, AND I WONDER WHETHER THE TWO FRANCHISED BUS COMPANIES CAN BE PROMPT ENOUGH TO RESPOND TO THIS TRANSPORT DEMAND, ESPECIALLY AT THIS TIME WHEN ONE OF THE BUS COMPANIES IS NOW IN THE DILEMMA OF MAKING FORWARD PLANS TO
ROUTE DEVELOPMENT IN ANTICIPATION OF THE CHANGING TRANSPORT PATTERNS OF THE COMMUTERS SUBSEQUENT TO THE OPERATION OF THE MTR ISLAND LINE IN 1986, HE SAID.
AS FOR THE ELECTRIFIED KOR, HE FELT IT HAD ONLY MADE A MARGINAL CONTRIBUTION TO REDUCING ROAD USE IN URBAN AREAS AND THE FEEDER SERVICES LINKING UP THE KCR STATIONS WITH MAJOR TRANSPORT INTERCHANGES LEFT MUCH TO BE DESIRED.
DR HO ALSO URGED THE GOVERNMENT TO REVIEW ITS POLICY GOVERNING THE OPERATION OF NEW TERRITORIES TAXIS SO THAT THEY COULD FUNCTION AS A MORE EFFICIENT MODE OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT.
HE SUGGESTED THAT THE OPERATION BOUNDARIES OF NEW TERRITORIES TAXIS SHOULD BE EXTENDED TO TSUEN WAN FERRY PIER IN TSUEN WAN, TO THE KCR STATION IN SHA TIN AND TO THE MTR STATION AT CHOI HUNG.
AS FOR THE DISABLED DRIVERS, DR HO FELT THAT CONCESSIONS IN RESPECT OF FIRST REGISTRATION TAX AND ANNUAL LICENCE FEES SHOULD BE CONSIDERED SINCE IT IS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE, UNDER THE PRESENT TRANSPORT CONDITIONS, TO EXPECT THEM TO FREELY USE PUBLIC TRANSPORT.
THE HON CHAN KAM-CHUEN SAID ALTHOUGH +PROHIBITION BY TAXATION+ IS A PHILOSOPHY ACCEPTED BOTH IN THE ORIENT AND THE OCCIDENT, HE HAD SOME DOUBTS IN APPLYING FISCAL CONTROL AS A SOLE MEANS FOR REDUCING CONGESTION.
TO SUPPORT HIS ARGUMENT, HE GAVE AN ANALYSIS ON THE PRIVATE CAR REGISTRATION STATISTICS OVER THE PAST 15 YEARS.
FROM THE ANALYSIS, MR CHAN NOTED, IT APPEARED THAT IF THE PREVAILING EXPORT AND SPECULATIVE MARKETS REMAINED RECESSIONARY, THE PRESENT FISCAL CONTROL WOULD PROBABLY ACHIEVE ITS OBJECTIVE OF CUTTING PRIVATE CARS DOWN TO FIVE PER CENT OR MIGHT EVEN ACHIEVE AN OVERKILL.
+BUT IF THE REVERSE IS TRUE, THOSE WHO COULD MAKE EASY MONEY IN SPECULATION WOULD BE ABLE TO BRUSH ASIDE THOSE INCREASES AS TRIFLES.+
/A 1-
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