6
TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 1993
THE INFRASTRUCTURE INCLUDES ROADS, CONTAINER BACK-UP LAND AND PARKING AREAS.
NECESSARY TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT MEASURES WILL ALSO BE INTRODUCED TO COPE WITH THE SITUATION.
MR LUI SAID SUBSTANTIAL RESOURCES HAD BEEN USED TO IMPROVE THE ROAD SYSTEM IN KWAI CHUNG CONTAINER PORT AREA IN THE PAST FEW YEARS.
SINCE THE COMPLETION OF THE IMPROVEMENTS то KWAI CHUNG ROAD SOUTH AND THE CONTAINER PORT ROAD PROJECT IN MID-1992, THERE ARE A TOTAL OF SEVEN TRAFFIC LANES IN EACH DIRECTION ALONG THE KWAI CHUNG ROAD AND CASTLE PEAK ROAD CORRIDOR TOGETHER WITH ADDITIONAL ACCESS ROADS CONNECTING TO THE CONTAINER PORT AREA.
"TRAFFIC HAS SINCE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED AND THE CAPACITY OF THE ROAD NETWORK IS CONSIDERED CAPABLE OF ACCOMMODATING THE NORMAL TRAFFIC DEMAND.
M
"HOWEVER, PROBLEMS MAY STILL ARISE WHEN THERE IS A SUDDEN UPSURGE OF CONTAINER ACTIVITIES, PARTICULARLY AN REOPENING AFTER THE OCCASIONAL CLOSURE OF THE TERMINALS DUE TO TYPHOONS OR MALFUNCTIONING OF ANY OF THE CONTAINER TERMINALS," HE SAID.
MR LUI POINTED OUT THAT A CONTINGENCY PLAN WAS ADOPTED IN 1991 TO DEAL WITH SUCH PROBLEMS.
THE PLAN INCLUDES AN EARLY WARNING SYSTEM WHICH REQUIRES CONTAINER OPERATORS TO INFORM TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT AND THE POLICE IN ADVANCE OF ANY EXPECTED UNUSUAL UPSURGE IN CONTAINER ACTIVITIES.
THERE IS ALSO AN EMERGENCY HOLDING AREA WHICH CAN ACCOMMODATE ABOUT 150 CONTAINER VEHICLES TO RELIEVE CONGESTION.
ALSO INCLUDED ARE A SERIES OF TRAFFIC ARRANGEMENTS TO DEAL WITH DIFFERENT LEVELS OF CONGESTION IN THE CONTAINER PORT AREA.
THESE ARRANGEMENTS INCLUDE POLICE CONTROL OF SELECTED ROUNDABOUTS, BANNING OF RIGHT-TURNS AND TRAFFIC DIVERSIONS.
QUICK AND APPROPRIATE PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS
ARE ALSO PART OF THE PLAN.
THROUGH THE MEDIA
"THE PLAN BAS SO FAR PROVED TO BE EFFECTIVE IN CONTAINING OR RESOLVING THE TRAFFIC PROBLEMS IN THE CONTAINER PORT," HE SAID.
MR LUI SAID ON JUNE 4, THE CONTAINER TERMINAL (OPERATION) LIAISON GROUP WITH REPRESENTATIVES FROM TERMINAL OPERATORS, VARIOUS CONTAINER TRADE UNIONS AND ASSOCIATIONS AND RELEVANT GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS MET TO REVIEW THE SERIOUS TRAFFIC CONGESTION IN THE CONTAINER PORT AREA THAT OCCURRED ON MAY 25.
IMPROVEMENT MEASURES AGREED AT THE MEETING ARE:
BOTH THE HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL TERMINALS LTD (HIT) AND THE SEALAND ORIENT LTD (SEALAND) WILL OPERATE AN APPOINTMENT SYSTEM SIMILAR TO THAT OF THE MODERN TERMINALS LTD (MTL) BY THE END OF JUNE ΤΟ REGULATE PEAK-PERIOD TRAFFIC,
/* THE TERMINAL