19
WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 1986
CALL FOR EFFECTIVE LRT MONITORING MECHANISM
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THE GOVERNMENT AND THE UMELCO TRANSPORT PANEL SHOULD KEEP THE APPROPRIATE LEGISLATION AND THE CONDITIONS OF THE LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT (LRT) AREA UNDER CONSTANT REVIEW TO ENSURE THE MONITORING SYSTEM WAS EFFECTIVE, THE HON LEE YU-TAI SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
HE ALSO SAID THAT A DEPUTATION FROM 14 TUEN MUN CIVIC BODIES AND DISTRICT BOARD MEMBER WARD OFFICES HAD CALLED FOR THE FORMATION OF AN INDEPENDENT STATUTORY MONITORING BODY.
SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF THE KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY (AMENDMENT) BILL 1986 IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, HE SAID THAT THE SETTING UP OF SUCH A BODY IMMEDIATELY WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE AS THE BILL WAS GOING TO BE ENACTED TODAY.
HOWEVER, MR LEE SAID THAT THE GOVERNMENT AND THE UMELCO TRANSPORT PANEL SHOULD PLAY THE MONITORING ROLE.
+ THE KCRC HAS BEEN GRANTED 20 YEARS OF FRANCHISED SERVICE IN THE AREA AND ITS OPERATION WILL BE UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE GOVERNMENT,+ HE SAID.
HE POINTED OUT THAT RESIDENTS RECOGNISED THE EFFICIENCY OF THE PRESENT ADMINISTRATION AND HAD CONFIDENCE IN IT, BUT THEY MIGHT HAVE WORRIES OVER THE EFFICIENCY OF THE ADMINISTRATION AFTER 1997:
+ IT IS THEREFORE NOT SURPRISING THAT RESIDENTS IN TUEN MUN ARE ASKING FOR THE SETTING UP OF AN EFFECTIVE MONITORING MECHANISM BY THE GOVERNMENT NOW SO THAT THEIR WORRIES OVER THE EFFICIENCY OF THE FUTURE ADMINISTRATION MAY BE REMOVED,+ MR LEE SAID.
ANOTHER SUGGESTION PUT FORWARD BY RESIDENTS WHICH MR LEE AGREED UPON WAS TO PLACE THE LRT SERVICE SCHEDULES UNDER THE CONTROL AND APPROVAL OF THE COMMISSIONER FOR TRANSPORT.
HE NOTED THAT THE SCHEDULES OF THE TWO BUS COMPANIES WERE SUBJECT TO THE APPROVAL OF THE COMMISSIONER FOR TRANSPORT BUT THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY AND THE KOWLOON-CANTON RAILWAY SERVICES WERE NOT GOVERNED BY SUCH PROVISIONS.
HE SAID REPRESENTATIVES OF THE CIVIC BODIES IN TUEN MUN ARE A CONSIDERED SUCH EXEMPTION ACCEPTABLE ONLY FOR MTR AND KCR ROUTES SINCE THERE WAS COMPETITION FROM OTHER MODES OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT ALONG THE VICINITY OF THESE ROUTES.
/SINCE THERE ...