WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 1985
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FEE RISE, TAX BRING DOWN CAR NUMBERS
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THE 1982 INCREASES IN LICENCE FEES AND FIRST REGISTRATION TAX WERE A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO A FALL OF OVER 17 PER CENT IN THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED PRIVATE CARS FROM 217 945 IN MAY 1982 TO 180 084 IN FEBRUARY 1985, THE SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT, THE HON IAN MACPHERSON, SAID TODAY.
THE DROP IN THIS CATEGORY WAS THE MAIN ELEMENT IN A DECREASE IN THE TOTAL NUMBER OF REGISTERED VEHICLES FROM 338 571 TO 308 864 OVER THE SAME PERIOD, MR MACPHERSON SAID IN REPLY TO A QUESTION BY THE HON S.L. CHEN IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.
+TRAFFIC CONDITIONS HAVE EASED PARTLY AS A RESULT OF THIS DROP IN THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES REGISTERED AND PARTLY AS A RESULT OF IMPROVEMENTS TO THE TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE, SUCH AS THE OPENING OF THE ISLAND EASTERN CORRIDOR, AND THE CORNWALL STREET FLYOVER, AND TO TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT, FOR EXAMPLE THE EXTENSION OF AREA TRAFFIC CONTROL TO THE ISLAND, MR MACPHERSON SAID.
WITH REGARD TO MR CHEN'S SECOND QUESTION ON THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES REGISTERED IN THE DIFFERENT CATEGORIES AT THE END OF EACH OF THE PAST FOUR YEARS, MR MACPHERSON PROVIDED A STATISTICAL TABLE SHOWING THE BREAKDOWN FIGURES AND THE TOTAL NUMBER OF ALL VEHICLES.
AT THE END OF 1984, THERE WERE 311 850 VEHICLES, BROKEN DOWN AS FOLLOWS: MOTOR CYCLES (22 417), PRIVATE CARS (182 985), TAXIS (15 984), PUBLIC BUSES (5 787), PRIVATE BUSES (186), PUBLIC LIGHT BUSES (4 350), PRIVATE LIGHT BUSES (1 886), GOODS VEHICLES (72 469), AND CROWN VEHICLES (5 186).
OVER MILLION USE KOWLOON-MACAU FERRY IN YEAR
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LAST YEAR, 1.1 MILLION PASSENGERS USED THE KOWLOON TO MACAU FERRY TERMINAL, THE SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT, THE HON IAN MACPHERSON TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.
IN REPLY TO A QUESTION BY THE HON F.K. HU, MR MACPHERSON SAID THAT SEAL INK FERRIES LTD., WHICH WAS MANAGED BY THE HONG KONG AND YAUMATI FERRY COMPANY. HAD A THREE-YEAR AGREEMENT WITH THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, EXPIRING IN SEPTEMBER 1986, TO OPERATE KOWLOON-MACAU FERRY SERVICES.
WHETHER THE MACAU FERRY TERMINAL WOULD CONTINUE IN OPERATION WITH THE COMPLETION OF THE NEW MACAU FERRY TERMINAL ON HONG KONG ISLAND WOULD BE A MATTER FOR REVIEW TOWARDS THE END OF THE CURRENT THREE-YEAR AGREEMENT, MR MACPHERSON SAID.
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