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To speed up the dispersal, it is proposed that the Kowloon-bound carriageway of Castle Peak Road, from its junction with Hoi On Road to Tsuen Wan, be pedestrianised so that spectators can walk to the Tsuen Wan MTR Station if they choose to do so. The station is between 3 km to 8.5 km away from the two extremes of the closed area on Castle Peak Road and the walk is estimated to take two hours.
The MTR and LRT services will be strengthened and service hours lengthened until all spectators are dispersed. Ferry services running between Tsuen Wan and Central will also be reinforced, if necessary.
In terms of marine traffic, the inter-departmental working group has made a number of proposals. These include the closure of the Ma Wan Channel from about 2 pm to 10.30 pm.
The proposed crowd control, transport and traffic arrangements will be finalised after consultation with the Tsuen Wan, Kwai Tsing, Tuen Mun, Yuen Long and Islands District Boards and the local communities representing Castle Peak Road residents.
Representatives from the departments concerned briefed the Kwai Tsing District Board on the arrangements today.
The public and in particular residents of the affected districts will be given advance notice of these arrangements nearer the time.
End
Hong Kong's external trade statistics for January 1997
In January 1997, the value of re-exports grew by 0.9% over a year earlier to $102.1 billion, while the value of domestic exports decreased by 9.1% to $17.3 billion. Meanwhile, imports increased by 1.1% to $131.8 billion.
External trade figures tend to show greater volatility in the first two months of each year. The small growth in both imports and re-exports in January 1997 was likely to have been affected by the different timing of the Lunar New Year Holidays in 1996 and 1997 and the high base of comparison resulting from the strong growth in external trade in January 1996. Thus it should be more meaningful to make comparison based on the figures for January and February combined, when the latter figures become available towards the end of this month.