XN000022-1978-06-21 — Page 7

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21, 1978

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DRAWING ON HIS PERSONAL EXPERIENCE IN KWUN TONG DISTRICT, THE HON, WONG LAM FULLY AGREED WITH THE POINTS RAISED BY SIR SZE-YUEN.

HE SAID BECAUSE VEHICLES WERE PROHIBITED FROM PARKING OR LOADING AND UNLOADING IN CERTAIN HOURS IN WAI YIP STREET, ALL GOODS VEHICLES HAD TO GO TO OTHER STREETS FOR THIS PURPOSE.

IN THE DAYS WHEN CONTAINER TRUCKS WERE NOT COMMON, TRAFFIC CONDITIONS THOUGH NOT ENTIRELY SATISFACTORY WERE TOLERABLE, SINCE THE SMALLER, ORDINARY LORRIES COULD STILL JUST ALLOW OTHER VEHICLES TO PASS THROUGH.

HOWEVER, WITH THE DAILY INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF CONTAINER TRUCKS, OTHER VEHICLES COULD NOW HARDLY PASS AT ALL AND HAD TO WAIT IN LONG QUEUES. THE CHAIN REACTION THAT RESULTED OFTEN LED TO TOTAL CONGESTION IN THE WHOLE DISTRICT.

THIS GAVE RISE TO A LOT OF BLOWING OF HORNS AND EXHAUST FUMES AND INDIRECTLY AFFECTED THE MANUFACTURERS WHO VERY OFTEN HAD TO TAKE BUYERS TO THE IR FACTORIES BUT WERE HAMPERED.

WHAT WAS MORE WORRYING, MR. WONG SAID, WAS THE DANGER OF A FIRE OCCURRING WHEN THE ROADS WERE BLOCKED AND MADE INACCESSIBLE TO FIRE-ENGINES.

ON THE FACE OF IT, THE PROBLEMS SEEMED TO BE CAUSED BY THE PROHIBITIONS IN WAI YIP STREET, THE MAIN ROAD IN KWUN TONG. IN REALITY, WITH SO MANY CONTAINER TRUCKS IN THE AREA, EVEN IF PARKING WERE PERMITTED THERE, TRAFFIC CONGESTION WOULD BE MADE EVEN WORSE.

ALTHOUGH SOME FACTORIES WERE ABLE TO MAKE USE OF LANES BETWEEN THEM FOR LOADING AND UNLOADING CONTAINERS, THERE WERE NOT MANY OF THESE LANES AND MOST OF THEM WERE FREQUENTLY OCCUPIED BY HAWKERS OR FOOD STALLS.

MR. WONG FULLY ENDORSED SIR SZE-YUEN'S APPEAL AND HOPED THAT THE GOVERNMENT WOULD SOON WORK OUT SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEMS.

THE HON. JAMES WU WHO ALSO SPOKE IN THE ADJOURNMENT DEBATE SAID THE COST TO INDUSTRY AND THE PUBLIC IN GENERAL AS A RESULT OF THESE TRAFFIC CONGESTION AND BLOCKAGE MUST BE ENORMOUS AND DESERVES OUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION.

HE SUGGESTED THAT JOINT MEETINGS BETWEEN INDUSTRIALISTS, THE POLICE AND THE GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS CONCERNED AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL SHOULD BE CALLED TO EXAMINE THE SITUATION AND TO RECOMMEND SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM.

TO DISCOURAGE PARKING OF CARS AND LORRIES FOR UNNECESSARILY LONG PERIODS, MR. WU ALSO SUGGESTED THAT PARKING METRES SHOULD BE INSTALLED IN INDUSTRIAL AREAS FOR HALF AN HOUR OR ONE HOUR PERIODS AT PUNITIVE RATES OF $2 FOR HALF AN HOUR FOR PRIVATE CARS AND $4 FOR LORRIES DURING THE HOURS OF 7 A.M. AND 7 P.M.

HE ALSO FEL”