TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 1986
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NEW TOLL BOOTHS AT LION ROCK TUNNEL
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THREE NEW TOLL BOOTHS AT THE LION ROCK TUNNEL WILL COME INTO OPERATION FROM 10 AM ON THURSDAY (MARCH 20), INCREASING THE TOLL BOOTH CAPACITY BY ABOUT 30 PER CENT.
THE ADDITIONAL BOOTHS, ALL SITUATED AT THE KOWLOON-BOUND, NEAR SIDE LANE OF THE TUNNEL, ARE EXPECTED TO BE LARGELY USED BY BUSES AND HEAVY VEHICLES.
AT PRESENT. NINE TOLL BOOTHS ARE OPERATING AT THE TUNNEL CATERING FOR 10 LANES OF TRAFFIC AND EACH BOOTH CAN HANDLE 465 VEHICLES PER HOUR. TWO OF THESE BOOTHS ARE SET ASIDE FOR EXACT TOLLS AND CAN HANDLE ABOUT 580 VEHICLES PER HOUR.
IN EARLY MARCH, THE AVERAGE DAILY TRAFFIC AT THE TUNNEL WAS 75 000 VEHICLES.
A TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN SAID IT WAS EXPECTED THAT TRAFFIC FLOW IN THE TUNNEL AREA WOULD EASE FURTHER WHEN IMPROVEMENT WORKS TO TAI PO ROAD, LION ROCK TUNNEL ROAD AND WATERLOO ROAD WERE COMPLETED.
TO COPE WITH THE OPENING OF THE NEW FACILITIES, THE EXISTING KOWLOON-BOUND BUS STOP IN THE TUNNEL AREA WILL BE RELOCATED TO A POSITION ADJACENT TO THE NEW BOOTHS.
KMB ROUTES NO. 70, 70M, 723, 74A, 30, 81M, 85A, 87 AND 89A WILL NO LONGER USE THE STOPS IN FRONT OF THE TOLL PLAZA ON BOTH THEIR KOWLOON-BOUND AND SHATIN-BOUND JOURNEYS, BECAUSE OF SPACE LIMITATIONS.
HOWEVER, FIVE SERVICES, INCLUDING KMB ROUTES NO. 32M, 85, 87A, 82 AND CROSS-HARBOUR ROUTE 170 WILL CONTINUE TO USE THE TWO STOPS.
THE SPOKESMAN SAID HE DID NOT EXPECT THE ARRANGEMENTS TO CAUSE COMMUTERS UNDUE INCONVENIENCE BECAUSE THE TWO STOPS WERE MAINLY USED AS AN INTERCHANGE POINT FOR OTHER SERVICES. +BUS COMMUTERS CAN ALWAYS CHANGE ROUTES AT ALTERNATIVE BUS STOPS IN SHA TIN OP IN THE KOWLOON URBAN AREA, HE SAID.
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