XN000022-1972-03-01 — Page 47

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Wednesday, March 1, 1972

FINANCIAL SECRETARY ANNOUNCES NEW RESTRAINTS POLICY ON PRIVATE MOTORISTS

Teak Hour Congestion Caused By Commuters: Mr. Haddon-Cave

Problem of Traffic Congestion Getting horse

Despite all efforts at road building and improvements, on which

more than $400 million have been spent in the past eleven years, the

problem of traffic congestion is getting worse, the Financial Secretary, Mr. C.P. Haddon-Cave said today.

In his. Budget speech in the legislative Council, the Financial Secretary warned that unless something was done to contain the growth rate of vehicles, "we shall face more and more severe traffic congestion in the urban areas as time goes on. th

He said this problem of congestion arose from the "increasing prosperity" of the community coupled with the fact that demand for transport always tended to increase more rapidly than incomes.

Income per head,

at current prices, was getting on for twice what it was in 1961.

The problem was not peculiar to Hong long and was present in most large cities around the world. "But it is becoming especially acute in Hong Kong because of our high densities and our peculiar geographical

circunstances."

Mr. Haddon-Cave said that, even to begin to cope with the

problem, Hong Kong must have a traffic and transport policy which recognised that there was only a given amount of road space available in relation to the increasing numbers of vehicles demanding to use it.

"This