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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1990
A RATIONALISED NETWORK WOULD ENABLE THE FRANCHISED OPERATORS TO PROVIDE A BETTER SERVICE WITH THE SAME LEVEL OF RESOURCES.
IN RELATION TO THE EFFICIENCY OF LONG-DISTANCE ROUTES FROM THE NEW TERRITORIES AND THEIR PENETRATION INTO THE URBAN AREA, MR LEUNG SAID CURRENTLY SUCH ROUTES
CENT OF KMB'S SERVICES IN TERMS OF THE NUMBER OF BUSES REQUIRED.
ACCOUNTED FOR 43.5 PER
IN URBAN
"THE PROJECTED REDUCTION OF POPULATION AND JOBS KOWLOON AND TSUEN WAN WOULD SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCE THE NUMBER OF TRIPS STARTING AND ENDING WITHIN THESE AREAS.
"IT MEANS THAT AN INCREASING PROPORTION OF THE TRAVEL ON THE STREETS OF KOWLOON WOULD BE LONG DISTANCE TRIPS TO OR FROM THE NEW TOWNS, RATHER THAN SHORT DISTANCE LOCAL TRIPS.
"THE TIME WILL SOON COME FOR A RESTRUCTURING OF THE BUS NETWORK OPERATING WITHIN URBAN KOWLOON.
"BY REDUCING THE NUMBER OF BUSES DEPLOYED ON THESE ROUTES, MORE ROOM COULD BE MADE AVAILABLE FOR ADDITIONAL DIRECT BUS SERVICES BETWEEN THE NEW TERRITORIES AND YAU TSIM OR CENTRAL,
P HE SAID.
SUCH A RESTRUCTURING EXERCISE WOULD TIE IN WITH TRANSPORT PLANNING NOW BEING FORMULATED AT THE REGIONAL LEVEL FOR THE NEW RECLAMATIONS ON WESTERN KOWLOON.
THESE RECLAMATIONS, TOGETHER WITH SOME OF THE URBAN RENEWAL PROPOSALS IN THE PIPELINE, PRESENTED OPPORTUNITIES FOR REDRESSING THE CURRENT SHORTAGE OF KERBSIDE AND TERMINUS SPACE IN THE SOUTHERN HALF OF KOWLOON PENINSULA.
MR LEUNG SAID THAT OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS, THERE MIGHT BE MORE EXTENSIVE PENETRATION OF THE YAU TSIM OR CENTRAL DISTRICT BY DIRECT BUS ROUTES FROM THE NEW TOWNS AS WELL AS THE INTRODUCTION OF FURTHER TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT MEASURES GIVING SUITABLE PRIORITY TO BUSES DEPLOYED ON THESE LONG-HAUL ROUTES.
ON MANAGEMENT OF BUS SERVICES, MR LEUNG STRESSED THAT THE GOVERNMENT WOULD VIEW A FRANCHISED COMPANY'S MANAGEMENT CAPABILITY AS ONE OF THE KEY FACTORS IN DETERMINING WHETHER THE FRANCHISE SHOULD BE ROLLED FORWARD.
HE SAID.
"WE HAVE RECENTLY SENT TO CMB A CLEAR MESSAGE TO THAT EFFECT,
"
TO HAVE
HE ADDED THAT CUSTOMER RELATIONS WAS A SUBJECT LIABLE AN INCREASING BEARING ON THE PERFORMANCE OF THE BUS COMPANIES AS FROM THE USERS' POINT OF VIEW.
SEEN
/HE SAID