WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1983
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+UNFORTUNATELY, IN THE PRESENT FINANCIAL CLIMATE, IT IS UNLIKELY THAT THESE PROJECTS WILL BE GIVEN HIGH PRIORITY AND IT MAY BE MANY YEARS YET BEFORE THEY CAN BE REALISED, + MR SO EXPLAINED.
THUS THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT HAS TO CONSIDER OTHER
ALTERNATIVES TO ACHIEVE THE STATED OBJECTIVE.
A PROPOSAL TO ALLOW AUTHORISED PRIVATE GARAGES TO UNDERTAKE THE ANNUAL EXAMINATION OF PRIVATE CARS HAS BEEN ENDORSED IN PRINCIPLE BY THE TRANSPORT ADVISORY COMMITTEE, AND THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT IS NOW WORKING OUT THE DETAILS OF THE SCHEME IN CONSULTATION WITH THE MOTOR TRADERS ASSOCIATION.
+ IF EVERYTHING GOES WELL, IT IS HOPED THAT THE PLAN WILL BE APPROVED FOR IMPLEMENTATION BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT YEAR.
+THIS WILL THEN ENABLE US TO REDUCE THE AGE LEVEL FOR ANNUAL EXAMINATION OF PRIVATE CARS FROM THE EXISTING 12 YEARS INITIALLY TO SEVEN YEARS AND GRADUALLY TO THE DESIRED LEVEL,+ MR SO REVEALED.
THE PROPOSED SCHEME, TO INVOLVE ABOUT 40 000 PRIVATE CARS, WOULD INVOLVE THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT AUTHORISING CERTAIN QUALIFIED PRIVATE GARAGES TO UNDERTAKE THE ANNUAL CHECK OF PRIVATE CARS AND TO ISSUE CERTIFICATES ON PASSING THE EXAMINATION.
ON THE SUPERVISION OF THE STANDARDS OF EXAMINATION DONE BY THESE PRIVATE GARAGES, MR SO SAID THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT WOULD ACHIEVE THIS THROUGH PERIODIC SPOT CHECKS AND INSPECTION AND THROUGH APPROVING THE EQUIPMENT USED AND THE PERSONNEL EMPLOYED.
MR SO ADDED THAT THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT WOULD ACT AS AN ARBITRATOR SHOULD ANY PRIVATE CAR OWNERS FEEL AGGRIEVED OVER THE EXAMINATION DONE BY THE PRIVATE GARAGES AND WANT TO LODGE AN APPEAL.+
WITH THE EXAMINATION OF PRIVATE CARS BEING TAKEN OVER BY PRIVATE GARAGES. ADDITIONAL CAPACITY WOULD BECOME AVAILABLE IN THE EXISTING VEHICLE EXAMINATION CENTRES. THIS WOULD IN TURN CONTRIBUTE TO THE REDUCTION OF AGE LEVEL FOR ANNUAL CHECK OF GOODS VEHICLES GRADUALLY.
AS PRIVATE GARAGES MAY NOT HAVE ADEQUATE FACILITIES AND QUALIFIED PERSONNEL TO HANDLE GOODS VEHICLES, IT IS CONSIDERED PRUDENT TO START THE SCHEME ON A MANAGEABLE SCALE, EXPLAINED MR SO, ADDING THAT SHOULD EXPERIENCE PROVE THAT THE SCHEME HAS SCOPE FOR EXPANSION TO COVER THE EXAMINATION OF OTHER TYPES OF. VEHICLES, IT WOULD NOT BE DIFFICULT TO MAKE THE EXTENSION LATER+.
MR SO STRESSED THAT PERIODIC VEHICLE EXAMINATION WAS ESSENTIAL. IN 1982, A TOTAL OF NEARLY 70 000 EXAMINATIONS WERE CARRIED OUT AT THE THREE GOVERNMENT VEHICLE EXAMINATION CENTRES.
+OF THESE VEHICLES, SOME 37 000 PASSED ON FIRST INSPECTION, WHILE THE OTHERS HAD TO RETURN FOR A SECOND OR EVEN MORE INSPECTIONS BEFORE THEY WERE PASSED FOR RELICENSING.
/+DURING THE
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