WEDNESDAY, JULY 12, 1989
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SHOULD THERE BE ANY SLOWDOWN IN THE RATE OF INCREASE OF PRIVATE CARS OR CHANGES IN TRAVEL DEMAND THESE WOULD BE FED INTO THE COMPUTER TO ASSIST A FLEXIBLE ADJUSTMENT OF MANAGEMENT MEASURES.
HOWEVER, HE SAID THE ROAD AND RAIL PROJECTS PROPOSED IN THE GREEN PAPER WERE REQUIRED NO MATTER WHERE THE AIRPORT WOULD BE RELOCATED ALTHOUGH ADJUSTMENTS WOULD BE NECESSARY TO THE TIMING AND SCALE OF SOME OF THE PROPOSED PROJECTS.
THE PROPOSED HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMME WAS ALSO INTENDED TO IMPROVE THE NEED FOR LINKING THE NEW TOWNS AND THE URBAN CENTRES, AND PROVIDING ADDITIONAL HARBOUR CROSSINGS AND CROSS BORDER LINKS.
WITH THE COMPLETION OF THE EASTERN HARBOUR CROSSING, KWUN TONG BYPASS, THE TATE'S CAIRN TUNNEL, ROUTE 5 AND THE WIDENING OF ΤΑΙ PO ROAD, THE NORTH-SOUTH TRANSPORT LINKS IN THE EASTERN PART OF THE TERRITORY WOULD BE WELL-ESTABLISHED BY THE EARLY 1990s.
IN
REGARDING THE NEED TO IMPROVE THE CONDITIONS OF THE LOCAL AND DISTRIBUTOR ROADS, MR LEUNG STRESSED THAT MANY ROAD IMPROVEMENTS THE FORM OF FLYOVERS AND ROAD WIDENING SCHEMES AT A TOTAL COST OF OVER $3 BILLION HAD BEEN PROPOSED.
USE OF GOODS VANS TO BE DISCOURAGED
THE GOVERNMENT WILL TAKE MEASURES ΤΟ DISCOURAGE THE USE OF GOODS VANS AS A CHEAP SUBSTITUTE FOR PRIVATE CARS, THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WAS TOLD TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
SPEAKING IN THE DEBATE ON THE GREEN PAPER ON TRANSPORT POLICY, THE SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT, THE HON MICHAEL LEUNG, SAID THE TRUCKING TRADE MUST ALSO BE ENCOURAGED TO USE ITS VEHICLES EFFICIENTLY AND OUTSIDE THE PEAK HOURS.
"ON CERTAIN ROADS, THE LOADING AND UNLOADING OF GOODS DURING SPECIFIC HOURS IS ALREADY PROHIBITED BY MEANS OF CLEARWAY RESTRICTIONS, MR LEUNG SAID.
ALTHOUGH THERE WAS A RAPID GROWTH IN GOODS VEHICLE TRAFFIC AND THEIR DOMINANT USE OF ROAD SPACE, MR LEUNG POINTED OUT THAT THESE VEHICLES WOULD REMAIN THE MAIN CARRIERS OF INTERNAL GOODS.
HE SAID THE SCOPE OF HANDLING INTERNAL FREIGHT THROUGH RAIL AND WATERBORNE TRANSPORT WAS LIMITED AS THIS WOULD INVOLVE DOUBLE HANDLING FROM RAIL OR BARGE TO LORRIES TO FINAL DESTINATIONS AND VICE VERSA.
/GIVEN THE