XN000022-1974-06-19 — Page 3

UEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 1974

TRANSPORT GREEN PAPER TABLED IN LEGCO

THE LONG-AWAITED GREEN PAPER ON TRANSPORT, WHICH SETS FORTH THE BASIC PRINCIPLES ATED AT PREVENTING TRAFFIC STAGNATION IN HONG KONG, VAS TABLED IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL THIS AFIRMOON.

THE PAPER OUTLINES IN DETAIL THE THREE SUCCESTED PRINCIPLES IMPROVEMENT OF THE ROAD SYSTEM= IMPROVEMENT AND EXPANSION OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT= AID THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A MORE ECONOMIC USE OF THE EXISTING ROAD SYSTEII.

IN TABLING THE CREEN PAPER, THE SECRETARY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, MR. JAMES ROBSON, SAID THAT TO REALISE THE FIRST PRINCIPLE IT 13 INTENDED TO SPEND AN AVERAGE OF $350 MILLION IN EACH OF THE NEXT FOUR FINANCIAL YEARS, WITH MUCH OF THE MONEY GOING INTO THE CONSTRUCTION OF DUAL CARRIAGEWAYS AND GRADE SEPARATED INTERCHANGES IN AN ACCELERATED PROGRAMME FOR TRUNK ROUTES.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT WAS PLANNED THAT HONEY WOULD ALSO BE ALLOCATED FOR THE INTRODUCTION OF NEW TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES, SUCH AS AREA TRAFFIC CONTROL AND TELEVISION SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS.

MORE EMPHASIS WOULD ALSO BE GIVEN TO SEPARATING PEDESTRIANS FROM VEHICULAR TRAFFIC BY PROVIDING EXCLUSIVE FACILITIES SUCH AS ELEVATED PEDESTRIAN WAYS, HE SAID.

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ON THE SECOND PRINCIPLE IMPROVING AND EXPANDING THE PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM - MR. ROBSON SAID THAT IN ITS INITIAL STAGE, THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY, WHICH ALONE WILL CARRY ONE MILLION PASSENGERS A DAY, SHOULD BE OPERATIONAL BY 1980.

+BY UTILISING SPACE ABOVE AND BENEATH OUR CARRIAGEWAYS THE RAILWAY SHOULD CONTRIBUTE MUCH TO EASE CONGESTION ON THE ROADS.+

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HOWEVER, HE SAID THAT THE MAIN ELEMENT OF THE PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM WOULD CONTINUE TO BE BUSES AND THE GOVERNMENT'S PLANS FOR REVITALISING BUS OPERATIONS WERE EXPLAINED IN DETAIL IN THE GREEN PAPER.

MR. ROBSON DESCRIBED THE THIRD PRINCIPLE OF ESTABLISHING A MORE ECONOMIC USE OF THE ROAD SYSTEM AS +POSSIBLY THE MOST IMPORTANT PRINCIPLE+. HONG KONG HAS NEITHER THE PHYSICAL SPACE NOR THE ECONOMIC RESOURCES TO REBUILD OUR CITIES IN SUCH A FORM THAT A LARGE PROPORTION OF JOURNEYS CAN BE MADE BY PRIVATE CAR.+

IT IS OBVIOUS, HE SAID, THAT CONTROL MUST BE EXERCISED ON THE USE OF ROADS TO +OBTAIN THEIR BEST USE IN THE GENERAL INTEREST+.

+THE FORMULATION OF A POLICY OF TRAFFIC RESTRAINT IS A PROBLEM WHICH MUST BE CONSIDERED NOW. IT MUST HAVE AS ITS BASIS THE MAINTENANCE OF ECONOMIC STABILITY WITHIN THE CITIES AND THIS PRESUPPOSES THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PRIORITY AMONGST THE COMPETING CLASSES OF ROAD USERS.+

MR. ROBSON SAID THAT IN ESTABLISHING THE PRIORITY THE INEFFICIENT VEHICLE SHOULD GIVE WAY TO THE VEHICLE WHICH HAD THE BEST PASSENGER CARRYING CAPACITY IN TERMS OF ROAD SPACE.

/+HANY CITIES,