12
WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 1986
MR GREWAL WENT ON TO SAY THAT THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO ALLOW FRANCHISED EXTERNAL BUSES TO SET DOWN PASSENGERS WITHIN THE TRANSIT SERVICE AREA IN CASE OF EMERGENCY WERE FULLY ACCEPTED.
MR GREWAL SAID HE WELCOMED THE DECISION OF THE TUEN MUN AND YUEN LONG DISTRICT BOARDS TO FORM A JOINT COMMITTEE UNDER THEIR AUSPICES TO MONITOR LRT SERVICE AND FARES, IN THE CONTEXT THAT THE SYSTEM'S FARE STRATEGY WAS TO ENCOURAGE MAXIMUM PATRONAGE WITH REALISTIC AND REASONABLE FARES.
+1 SEE THE FORMATION OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE AS FURTHER REINFORCING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE THREE-TIER SYSTEM OF MONITORING WHICH I MENTIONED IN INTRODUCING THE BILL INTO THIS COUNCIL, AND MR LAU HAS MY ASSURANCE THAT IT WILL RECEIVE POSITIVE SUPPORT FROM THE GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS CONCERNED AND THE KCRC IN CARRYING OUT ITS TASK, HE SAID.
AS TO THE SUGGESTION FOR APPOINTING ONE MEMBER EACH FROM THE TUEN MUN AND YUEN LONG DISTRICT BOARDS TO THE KCRC BOARD, MR GREWAL SAID THAT GIVEN THE BOARD'S EXISTING MEMBERSHIP AND THE PRESENT MONITORING SYSTEM, HE CONSIDERED THE PUBLIC INTEREST AS +MORE THAN ADEQUATELY SAFEGUARDED+.
REFERRING TO ASSOCIATED FACILITIES FOR THE SYSTEM, MR GREWAL SAID ADEQUATE CROSSING FACILITIES WOULD BE PROVIDED IN CONJUNCTION WITH WORK ON PHASE ONE.
HE SAID THE PROBLEM OF NOISE NUISANCE WOULD NOT ARISE AS THERE WERE NO PLANS FOR MAJOR CONSTRUCTION WORK TO BE DONE AT NIGHT AND THE CONTRACT FOR PHASE ONE MADE NO PROVISION FOR NIGHT WORK.
HE ALSO SAID THE PROBLEM OF COMPENSATION FOR BUSINESS LOSS ATTRIBUTABLE TO LRT WORKS WAS UNDERSTANDABLE AND WAS BEING ADDRESSED BY THE DEPARTMENTS CONCERNED.
ON FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF THE LRT SYSTEM, MR GREWAL SAID EXTENSIONS TO SAM SHING HU1 AND THE BUILT-UP AREAS EAST OF THE NULLAH WOULD FORM PART OF THE PHASE TWO DEVELOPMENT EXPECTED TO OPERATE IN THE EARLY 1990's.
ON A FUTURE LINK TO THE URBAN AREA, THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY CORPORATION AND THE KCRC WERE CURRENTLY CONDUCTING FEASIBILITY STUDIES WHICH WERE EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF 1986 OR EARLY 1987.
/13