XN000022-1974-08-30 — Page 5

4

FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 1974

HE CONVEYED THE GOOD WISHES OF ALL THE OFFICERS FOR MR. CANNING TO HAVE THE HAPPY RETIREMENT HE SO WELL DESERVED.

MR. CANNING, WHO WAS EDUCATED AT GLASGOW UNIVERSITY, CAME TO HONG KONG AS AN EDUCATION OFFICER IN AUGUST 1952 AND TAUGHT AT KING GEORGE V SCHOOL. IN MARCH 1958 HE WAS POSTED TO QUEEN'S COLLEGE WHERE HE WAS APPOINTED PRINCIPAL.

+

HE BECAME AN ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION IN DECEMBER 1959 AND, IN JUNE 1957, A DEPUTY DIRECTOR.

MR. CANNING WAS APPOINTED DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION IN JUNE 1969 AND BECAME AN OFFICIAL MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL AT THE SAME TIME. HE WAS APPOINTED AN OFFICIAL JUSTICE OF THE PEACE IN 1966.

COMPUTER ISED TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM FOR WEST KOWLOON ******

STRUCTURAL WORK FOR THE COMPUTERISED TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM IN WEST KOWLOON IS TO BEGIN IN OCTOBER WHEN MORE THAN 12 MILES OF CABLE DUCTS WILL BE LAID UNDER THE ROAD SURFACE IN THE AREA.

AT THE SAME TIME, 200 DRAWPITS WILL ALSO BE CONSTRUCTED FOR THE DRAWING AND JOINTING OF CABLES WHICH WILL RECORD TRAFFIC CONDITIONS AND TRANSMIT THE INFORMATION TO A CENTRAL COMKPUTER.

THE COMPUTER, WHICH WILL BE INSTALLED IN THE KOWLOON GOVERNMENT OFFICES IN NATHAN ROAD, WILL INSTANTLY SYNCHRONISE TRAFFIC SIGNALS IN THE WHOLE AREA TO ENABLE MORE SMOOTH TRAFFIC FLOW.

TRAFFIC INFORMATION, SUCH AS THE NUMBER OF PASSING CARS, THE SPEED OF TRAFFIC AND THE LENGTH OF QUEUES, WILL ALSO BE FED TO THE TRAFFIC POLICE SO THAT TRAFFIC JAMS WILL BE SPOTTED AND CLEARED IMMEDIATELY.

WITH THE COMPUTER, IT WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE TO CREATE A CLEARWAY FOR FIRE ENGINES AND OTHER EMERGENCY VEHICLES BY ADVISING THE QUICKEST ROUTE AND CO-ORDINATING THE TRAFFIC LIGHTS ALONG IT.

THE AREA TRAFFIC CONTROL SCHEME, WHICH COSTS $10 MILLION, IS BEING INTRODUCED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN SOUTH-EAST ASIA. BUT IT HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY ADOPTED IN A NUMBER OF CITIES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, EUROPE AND THE UNITED STATES.

IT WILL INITIALLY COVER YAUMATI, MONGKOK, PARTS OF TSIM SHA TSUI, AND SHAM SHUI PO TO THE WEST OF NATHAN ROAD.

IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE LAYING OF DUCTING WORK IN CONNECTION WITH THE CABLE INSTALLATION AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF DRAWPITS SHOULD BE COMPLTED NEXT MARCH, AND THE ENTIRE SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO BE FULLY OPERATIONAL BY 1976.