FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1982
10
LORD BELSTEAD ARRIVES ON MONDAY
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LORD BELSTEAD, MINISTER OF STATE AT THE FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE, IS DUE TO ARRIVE ON MONDAY (DECEMBER 6) FOR A FIVE-DAY VISIT ON HIS WAY TO BANGKOK WHERE HE WILL ATTEND A MEETING OF HEADS OF UK MISSIONS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA AND THE FAR EAST.
LORD BELSTEAD IS SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE AT KAI TAK AIRPORT ON FLIGHT CX 200 (STA 9.15 AM).
GOVERNOR, SIR EDWARD YOUDE.
HE WILL BE GREETED ON ARRIVAL BY THE
A PHOTOGRAPHIC FACILITY WILL BE ARRANGED TO COVER LORD BELSTEAD'S ARRIVAL. PRESS PHOTOGRAPHERS AND TV CAMERAMEN WISHING TO MAKE USE OF THIS FACILITY ARE REQUESTED TO ASSEMBLE IN THE AIRPORT PRESS ROOM ON THE GROUND FLOOR OF THE AIRPORT TERMINAL BUILDING BY 8.15 AM.
GIS OFFICERS WILL BE ON HAND TO ASSIST.
EDITORS ARE ADVISED THAT LORD BELSTEAD WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS AT THE AIRPORT, BUT IS EXPECTED TO GIVE A PRESS CONFERENCE BEFORE HIS DEPARTURE ON DECEMBER 10.
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BETTER LIGHT BUSES EXPECTED ****
THE PUBLIC MAY IN THE NEAR FUTURE SEE THE PHASING IN OF NEWER, SAFER, MORE POWERFUL AND MORE COMFORTABLE LIGHT BUSES.
SOME OPERATORS HAVE BEEN KEEN TO SWITCH TO NEW MODELS OF LIGHT BUSES, BUT THE OBSTACLE HAS BEEN THE DEFINITION IN THE ROAD TRAFFIC ORDINANCE WHICH RESTRICTS A LIGHT BUS TO A MAXIMUM 2-TON UNLADEN WEIGHT.
IT WAS THE INTENTION TO REMOVE THIS OBSTACLE IN THE GENERAL REVISION OF THE ROAD TRAFFIC LEGISLATION, BUT THIS CANNOT BE IMPLEMENTED UNTIL APRIL 1984.
HOWEVER, IN THE ROAD TRAFFIC (AMENDMENT) (NO. 2) BILL 1982 PUBLISHED TODAY, THE RAISING OF THE MAXIMUM WEIGHT LIMIT AND DIMENSIONS OF LIGHT BUSES CAN EFFECTIVELY BE BROUGHT FORWARD.
UNDER THE BILL, REFERENCE TO A 2-TON UNLADEN WEIGHT LIMIT WILL BE DELETED FROM THE DEFINITION OF A LIGHT BUS ALTHOUGH
ITS SEATING CAPACITY WILL REMAIN AT 14.
IF THE BILL IS ENACTED, THE COMMISSIONER FOR TRANSPORT WILL BE ABLE ON APPLICATION FROM OPERATORS TO REGISTER LIGHT BUSES UP TO FOUR TONS IN GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT AND UP TO SEVEN METRES IN LENGTH, THREE METRES IN HEIGHT AND 2.3 METRES IN WIDTH.