XN000022-1976-10-19 — Page 4

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1976

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MOVES TO ALLEVIATE TRAFFIC CONGESTION IN N.P.

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A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID TODAY THAT EVERYTHING POSSIBLE WAS BEING DONE TO ALLEVIATE THE CURRENT TRAFFIC CONGESTION IN KING'S ROAD, NORTH POINT AND SOME IMPROVEMENT IN THE SITUATION WAS ALREADY BECOMING NOTICEABLE.

THE SPOKESMAN SAID: THE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SCHEME INTRODUCED TO MAKE THE AFFECTED SECTIONS OF KING'S ROAD INTO AN URBAN CLEARWAY SHOULD BEGIN TO TAKE HOLD IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS AS THE DRIVERS OF TAXIS AND PUBLIC LIGHT BUSES COME TO UNDERSTAND THAT THEY CANNOT PICK UP OR LET DOWN PASSENGERS IN THE AREA.+

HE ADDED THAT THE HONG KONG ELECTRIC COMPANY HAD AGREED TO WORK UP TO 11 O'CLOCK AT NIGHT SO THAT THE ROAD WORKS IN ELECTRIC ROAD, WHICH WERE THE BASIC CAUSE OF THE PRESENT PROBLEM, WOULD BE COMPLETED IN THE SHORTEST POSSIBLE TIME.

+THEY FEEL THAT THE MOST PROBLEMATICAL SECTION OF THE WORK SHOULD BE COMPLETED WITHIN FIVE WEEKS, AND AT THAT TIME THE WORST OF THE PROBLEM SHOULD BE OVER, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

HE POINTED OUT THAT KING'S ROAD AND ELECTRIC ROAD/JAVA ROAD PROVIDED THE ONLY ROAD LINKS FOR THE INCREASINGLY HUGE VOLUME OF TRAFFIC MOVING BETWEEN CAUSEWAY BAY AND NORTH POINT, QUARRY BAY AND CHAI WAN.

BECAUSE OF THE HUGE GROWTH AND INCREASED ACTIVITY IN THESE AREAS IN RECENT YEARS, THESE TWO ROADS WERE NOW UNABLE TO COPE EASILY WITH TRAFFIC EVEN UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS.

AT THE MOMENT, THE HONG KONG ELECTRIC COMPANY WAS REINFORCING ITS EXTRA HIGH TENSION CABLE NETWORK FROM ITS NORTH POINT POWER STATION IN ELECTRIC ROAD TO KAM PING STREET -- A VITAL LINK IN THE POWER NETWORK MADE NECESSARY BY THE MUSHROOMING GROWTH OF NORTH POINT, WHERE POWER CONSUMPTION WAS INCREASING AT THE RATE OF 13 PER CENT COMPOUND EVERY YEAR.

TO ALLOW THIS WORK TO BE DONE HALF OF ELECTRIC ROAD HAS HAD TO BE CLOSED, ALLOWING ONLY FOR EASTBOUND TRAFFIC. ALL WESTBOUND TRAFFIC HAD TO USE KING'S ROAD, WHICH WAS UNABLE TO MEET THE EXTRA TRAFFIC LOAD.

AS THE PRESENT URBAN CLEARWAY RESTRICTIONS IN KING'S ROAD BEGIN TO TAKE HOLD THERE WOULD BE SOME IMPROVEMENT IN THE SITUATION, BUT NO MARKED IMPROVEMENTS IN THE SITUATION WOULD BE POSSIBLE UNTIL ELECTRIC ROAD COULD BE RE-OPENED TO TWO-WAY TRAFFIC.

FOR THIS REASON, THE HONG KONG ELECTRIC COMPANY WOULD PUSH AHEAD AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE WITH THE LAYING OF THE EXTRA HIGH TENSION CABLE IN THE NARROW SECTION OF ELECTRIC ROAD BETWEEN POWER STREET AND NORTH POINT ROAD.

/THE SPOKESMAN