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FRIDAY, JULY 8,
. 1988
HE SAID THE EFFECT OF THESE QUEUES CAN BE REDUCED BY DIVERTING NON-TUNNEL TRAFFIC TO ALTERNATIVE ROUTES.
TUNNEL TRAFFIC FROM
THIS CAN ALSO BE ACHIEVED BY SEGREGATING NON-TUNNEL TRAFFIC BY USING ROAD MARKINGS TO REDUCE CONFLICT OF TRAFFIC MERGING AT THE ENTRANCES TO THE TUNNEL.
THE MEASURES WILL BE IMPLEMENTED ON CONVENTION AVENUE, CANAL ROAD ON HONG KONG ISLAND NORTH IN KOWLOON.
GLOUCESTER ROAD, AND CHATHAM ROAD
MR SO POINTED OUT THAT FRANCHISED BUSES AT PRESENT CARRY SOME 70 PER CENT OF THE PASSENGER TRAFFIC FLOW THROUGH THE CROSS HARBOUR TUNNEL. THEY ARE THE MOST EFFICIENT CARRIERS AND ANY METHODS TO IMPROVE THEIR OPERATION WILL BENEFIT THE TRAVELLING PUBLIC.
LAYBY
MEASURES 11AVE BEEN IDENTIFIED TO REDUCE THE DELAY3 CAUSED BY THE TUNNEL QUEUES AND BY THE LIMITED CAPACITY OF THE TOLL PLAZA AT THE KOWLOON FNTRANCE.
THESE INCLUDE BUS ROUTE DIVERSIONS, RELOCATION OF HARBOUR BUS STOPS ON CHATHAM ROAD, THE WIDENING OF THE BUS LAYBY, AS THE PROVISION OF NON-STOP AND SHUTTLE BUS SERVICES.
CROSS AND
ALTHOUGH THE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT MEASURES MAY BE ABLE TO GIVE SOME RELIEF TO NON-TUNNEL TRAFFIC AND TO BRING SOME IMPROVEMENT TO THE OPERATION OF CROSS HARBOUR BUSES, THEY CANNOT INCREASE THE CAPACITY OR THE TUNNEL THROUGHOUT, MR SO SAID.
THE CONSULTANCY REPORT HAS PROJECTED THAT THE LEVEL OF DAILY TRAFFIC FLOW THROUGH THE TUNNEL WILL INCREASE FROM THE PRESENT 117,000 TO ABOUT 129,000 BY OCTOBER NEXT YEAR.
THIS WOULD RESULT IN LONG QUEUES FORMING AND EXTENDING FROM AS EARLY AS 7.30 AM TO AS LATE AS R PM OR 9 PM, CAUSING SERIOUS DISRUPTION AND DELAYS TO OTHER TRAFFIC AS WELL.
THE REPORT ALSO POINTS OUT THAT EVERY 10 PER CENT INCREASE IN TRAFFIC WOULD RESULT IN A 50 PER CENT INCREASE IN QUEUE LENGTH. THIS THE MEANS THAT BY OCTOBER NEXT YEAR, QUEUES OF TRAFFIC EXTENDING FROM TUNNEL PORTALS COULD REACH FOUR TO FIVE KILOMETRES.
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THE
LA
MR SO SAID THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT WILL BE MONITORING SITUATION CLOSELY IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS AND WILL DO TO FASE CONGESTION.
WHATEVER
BUT THE PROJECTION IS THAT THE CONGESTION PROBLEM WILL. WORSE AND THERE WILL BE NO SIGNIFICANT RELIEF UNTIL THE OPENING DE FASTERU HARBOUR CROSSING BY THE LATER PART OF NEXT YEAR, HE SAID.
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I THEREFORE HOPE THAT MOTORISTS WILL BE PATIENT, TRY TO AVOID USING THE TUNNEL DURING PEAK HOURS AND SWITCH ΤΟ PUBLIC TRANSPORT, MR SO ADDED.
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