SUNDAY, MAY 17, 1987
BUS-ONLY SCHEME FOR LION ROCK TUNNEL ROAD *****
A BUS-ONLY LANE SCHEME WILL BE INTRODUCED ON MONDAY (MAY 25) ON THE KOWLOON-BOUND CARRIAGEWAY OF LION ROCK TUNNEL ROAD DURING MORNING PEAK HOURS ON WEEKDAYS TO SPEED UP THE FLOW OF PASSENGERS TRAVELLING TO WORK.
THE LANE SPECIALLY EARMARKED FOR BUSES WILL BE ABOUT 670 METRES LONG EXTENDING FROM WORLDWIDE GARDENS TO THE TOLL PLAZA OF THE TUNNEL. IT WILL BE OPERATING BETWEEN 7.30 AM AND 9 AM EXCEPT SUNDAYS AND PUBLIC HOLIDAYS.
A TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THE SCHEME WILL REDUCE BUS JOURNEY TIME BY ABOUT FOUR MINUTES BY ALLOWING BUSES TO BYPASS TRAFFIC CONGESTION ON LION ROCK TUNNEL ROAD.
THE SPOKESMAN SAID KMB ROUTES 48, 70X, 728, 72X, 73X, 74A, 74X, 75X, 82M, 82X, 87 AND 890 MAY BE DIVERTED TO CHE KUNG MIU ROAD HUNG NUI KUK ROAD AND LION ROCK TUNNEL ROAD ON KOWLOON- BOUND JOURNEYS DURING THE MORNING PEAK PERIOD IN THE EVENT OF TRAFFIC CONGESTION ALONG LION ROCK TUNNEL ROAD ON THE APPROACHES TO THE BUS LANE.
IT WILL BE AN OFFENCE FOR ANY VEHICLE, OTHER THAN A PUBLIC OR PRIVATE BUS OR A PUBLIC LIGHT BUS WITH PERMIT ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT, TO ENTER THE BUS LANE. GREEN MINIBUS ROUTE 61M, WHICH PROVIDES A SCHEDULED SERVICE FROM TAI WAI TO KOWLOON TONG MTR STATION, WILL BE PERMITTED TO USE THE BUS LANE.
+THE CONGESTION PROBLEM ON THE APPROACHES TO LION ROCK TUNNEL IS A MATTER OF INCREASING CONCERN TO GOVERNMENT AS WELL AS TO RESIDENTS OF SHA TIN AND THE EAST NEW TERRITORIES.
+SINCE 1984, VARIOUS MEASURES HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED TO ALLEVIATE THE CONGESTION PROBLEM AND TO INCREASE THE THROUGHOUT THROUGH THE TUNNEL THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
THESE INCLUDE THE OPENING OF FOUR ADDITIONAL TOLL BOOTHS, THE INTRODUCTION OF THE PRE-PAID TUNNEL TICKETS AND THE ENACTMENT OF THE EXACT PAYMENT LEGISLATION.
+ALTHOUGH THE GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN PURSUING TWO LONG-TERM ROAD PROJECTS TO RESOLVE THE CONGESTION PROBLEM, THAT IS ROUTE 5 LINKING SHA TIN AND TSUEN WAN AND THE TATE'S CAIRN TUNNEL LINKING SHA TIN WITH EAST KOWLOON, IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT THE BUS LANE SCHEME BE INTRODUCED FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE MAJORITY OF THE COMMUTERS TRAVELLING BY BUS,+ THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
/AT PRESENT,