WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 1987
40
SUFFICIENT STAFF TO DEAL WITH BORDER CROSSING TRAFFIC
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THE IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS AND EXCISE DEPARTMENTS HAD SUFFICIENT STAFF TO DEAL WITH PRESENT TRAFFIC VOLUME AT MAN KAM TO, THE SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT, THE HON DAVID LAN, SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY THE HON SELINA CHOW, MR LAN SAID THE GOVERNMENT WAS, HOWEVER, AWARE THAT AN UNEXPECTEDLY RAPID INCREASE IN TRAFFIC COULD CAUSE PROBLEMS.
*THE SITUATION IS THEREFORE BEING WATCHED CAREFULLY SO THAT STEPS CAN BE TAKEN TO INCREASE STAFF AND OTHER RESOURCES IN GOOD TIME WHEN REQUIRED, HE SAID.
DESCRIBING HOW TRAFFIC VOLUME HAD INCREASED RAPIDLY, HE SAID IN 1980 AN AVERAGE OF 849 VEHICLES PASSED THROUGH THE CROSSING EACH DAY. SINCE THEN IT HAD INCREASED BY OVER 5-1/2 TIMES SO THAT THE DAILY AVERAGE WAS NOW SOMETHING OVER 5 600. THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF CROSSINGS IN ONE DAY SO FAR WAS 8 118 ON DECEMBER 30 LAST YEAR.
+ THE PRESENT LEVEL OF TRAFFIC IS HIGHER THAN PREVIOUSLY FORECAST. IN 1985 WE PREDICTED A DAILY AVERAGE OF 4 800 FOR 1986, AN UNDERESTIMATE OF AROUND 17 PER CENT.+
MR LAN SAID IT WAS NOT EASY TO ASSESS ACCURATELY WHAT THE CROSS BORDER TRAFFIC PRECISELY WOULD LOOK LIKE IN THE YEARS AHEAD, ALTHOUGH HE WAS QUITE CONFIDENT THAT IT WOULD CONTINUE TO GROW AT A RAPID RATE.
+HOWEVER, OUR WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE AUTHORITIES IN SHENZHEN IS DEVELOPING ALL THE TIME, AND WE BELIEVE THAT THE FREQUENT AND CONTINUOUS EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION BETWEEN THE TWO PLACES WOULD BE OF GREAT HELP TOWARDS MAKING MORE ACCURATE FORECASTS INTO THE FUTURE, HE SAID.
WITH REGARD TO CUSTOMS AND IMMIGRATION FACILITIES, MR LAN SAID THE PRESENT CONTROL POINT AT MAN KAM TO CAME INTO OPERATION IN JULY 1980, WITH FOUR VEHICLE EXAMINATION KIOSKS AND 14 PASSENGER EXAMINATION COUNTERS.
THE NUMBER OF VEHICLE KIOSKS WAS INCREASED TO 12 IN SEPTEMBER 1985. AND THE NUMBER OF PASSENGER COUNTERS WAS INCREASED TO 28 IN FEBRUARY 1986.
+THESE ARE SUFFICIENT AT PRESENT AND WE ARE ALSO TAKING STEPS TO PROVIDE TWO MORE PROCESSING LANES ON THE HONG KONG SIDE TO ENSURE A SMOOTH AND BALANCED FLOW OF TRAFFIC IN THE FORE SEE ABLE FUTURE, HE ADDED.