VESDAY, DECEMBER 11, 1985
BUS OPERATIONS UNDER CLOSE SCRUTINY
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THE PERFORMANCE OF THE FRANCHISED BUS OPERATORS AND THE IR ROUTE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES DESIGNED TO MEET CHANGING PASSENGER DEMANDS WERE KEPT UNDER VERY CLOSE SCRUTINY BY THE AUTHORITIES, THE SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT, THE HON IAN MACPHERSON, SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
SPEAKING AT THE RESUMED DEBATE ON THE MOTION OF THANKS,
MR MACPHERSON SAID IT IS OUR CONSTANT CONCERN TO TRY AND ENSURE THAT IN OUR HIERARCHY OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT MODES, FROM FERRIES AND DOUBLE DECKER BUSES TO TAXIS, EACH PLAYS ITS NECESSARY ROLE IN A VIABLE AND EFFICIENT MANNER.+
IN REPLY TO POINTS RAISED BY UNOFFICIALS, MR MACPHERSON SAID IT WAS HELPFUL TO RESTATE THE THREE MAIN ELEMENTS OF OUR TRANSPORT POLICY, WHICH WERE AS VALID TODAY AS THEY WERE WHEN PUBLISHED IN THE 1979 WHITE PAPER ON TRANSPORT POLICY.+
BUILDING +THEY ARE: FIRST, THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE ROAD SYSTEM - MORE ROADS: SECONDLY, THE EXPANSION AND IMPROVEMENT OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT UPON WHICH 90 PER CENT OF HONG KONG PEOPLE DEPEND AND THIRDLY, THE MORE ECONOMIC USE OF THE ROAD SYSTEM, BY TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT AND THROUGH RESTRAINT MEASURES.
+THESE THREE POLICY ELEMENTS MUST CONSISTENTLY AND VIGOROUSLY BE PURSUED IF WE ARE TO ACHIEVE THE OBJECTIVE OF KEEPING HONG KONG MOVING, HE SAID.
AS REGARDS ROAD BUILDING, MR MACPHERSON NOTED THAT THE ACHIEVEMENTS WERE ALREADY IMPRESSIVE.
RECENT MAJOR PROJECTS COMPLETED INCLUDED THE SECTION OF THE NEW TERRITORIES CIRCULAR ROAD FROM SHA TIN TO FAN LING, THE TSUEN WAN BYPASS AND THE ISLAND EASTERN CORRIDOR, HE SAID.
AS REGARDS THE FUTURE ROAD BUILDING PROGRAMME, MR MACPHERSON SAID IT WOULD INCLUDE NEW ROADS SUCH AS ROUTE 5 BETWEEN SHA TIN AND TSUEN WAN. A TUNNEL BETWEEN EAST KOWLOON AND SHA TIN UNDER TATE'S CAIRN AND A MAJOR IMPROVEMENT TO ROUTE 7 THROUGH CENTRAL DISTRICT.
+1 CAN ALSO CONFIRM THAT PRIORITY IS BEING GIVEN TO A STUDY OF A NEW LINK BETWEEN THE NORTHWEST NEW TERRITORIES AND WEST KOWLOON VIA TSUEN WAN, HE ADDED.
MR MACPHERSON SAID THAT THIS PROGRAMME, EXCLUDING THE EASTERN HARBOUR CROSSING WHICH WOULD BE TOTALLY FINANCED BY THE PRIVATE SECTOR AT A COST OF ABOUT $3 BILLION, WAS FORECAST TO COST IN THE REGION OF $1.8 BILLION PER YEAR OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
+THESE ARE IN MY VIEW IMPRESSIVE COMMITMENTS; THEY WILL TAKE UP SOMETHING LIKE 30 PER CENT OF OUR TOTAL PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME IN THESE YEARS, HE NOTED.
/HOWEVER, HE