SATURDAY, JULY 12, 1986
THE FACT THAT TAXIS ARE A POPULAR MODE OF TRANSPORT WAS ALSO BORNE OUT EY STATISTICS COMPILED IN 1985 WHICH REVEALED THAT TAXIS, CARRYING 1,155 MILLION PASSENGERS PER DAY, HAD A BIGGER MARKET SHARE THAN SOME MASS TRANSPORT CARRIERS.
TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE ABOVE SURVEY FINDINGS, THE WORK ING GROUP FELT THAT THERE WAS NO JUSTIFICATION FOR A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF ANY OF THE THREE TYPES OF TAXIS AS THERE ARE GENERALLY SUFFICIENT TAXIS ON THE ROAD AND TAXIS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS THE DOMINANT ROAD USER ON CONGESTED ROADS, HE SAID.
+THERE IS DEFINITELY NO JUSTIFICATION FOR RAISING THE NUMBERS OF NEW TERRITORIES AND LANTAU TAXIS IN THE SHORT TERM IN VIEW OF TAXI AVAILABILITY AND THE FINANCIAL POSITION OF THE OPERATIONS.
+AFTER CONSIDERING THE SITUATION IN THE URBAN AREA WHICH HAS AN INCREASING DEMAND FOR TAXIS, THE WORK ING GROUP, ON BALANCE, DEEMED IT PRUDENT TO MAINTAIN THE CURRENT MODEST RATE OF ISSUING 200 LICENCES EACH YEAR FOR ANOTHER TWO YEARS WHICH REPRESENTS ONLY AN ANNUAL INCREASE OF 1.4 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL URBAN TAXI FLEET. + THE SPOKESMAN SAID, ADDING THAT THE OVERALL SIZE OF THE TAXI FLEET WOULD BE REVIEWED EVERY TWO YEARS.
THE RECOMMENDATIONS HAVE BEEN SUBJECT TO WIDE CONSULTATIONS INVOLVING THE DISTRICT BOARDS, TAXI ASSOCIATIONS AND THE TRANSPORT ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE VIEWS FOR AND AGAINST A MORATORIUM ON THE ISSUE OF URBAN TAXI LICENCES WHICH WERE EVENLY DIVIDED AMONG THE URBAN DISTRICT BOARDS, THE OUTCOME OF THE CONSULTATIONS WAS GENERALLY FAVOURABLE.
THE NEW LIMITS WERE SET OUT IN THE TAXIS (LIMITATION ON NUMBER) NOTICE 1986 GAZETTED YESTERDAY.
TOWN PLANNING BOARD APPROVES LPG TANKS
****
THE TOWN PLANNING BOARD AT ITS MEETING ON FRIDAY FURTHER CONS IDERED AN APPLICATION FROM CHINA RESOURCES PETROLEUM AND CHEMICALS COMPANY LIMITED (CRC) WHICH LAST YEAR APPLIED TO CONSTRUCT TWQ LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM GAS STORAGE TANKS AT ITS OIL TERMINAL ON TSING YI ISLAND.
THE BOARD DECIDED, AFTER TAKING EXPERT ADVICE AS WELL AS LOCAL CONCERN AND OTHER FACTORS VERY CAREFULLY INTO CONSIDERATION, THAT THE CRC APPLICATION SHOULD BE APPROVED.
THE APPLICATION SITE IS NEARLY TWO KILOMETRES DISTANT FROM THE NEAREST RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT AND IS SEPARATED FROM IT BY A RIDGE WHICH FORMS A NATURAL PHYSICAL BARRIER.
/A BOARD