XN000022-1979-01-10 — Page 25

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10, 1979

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PLANS LAUNCHED TO IMPROVE LANTAU TRANSPORT FACILITIES *******

THE GOVERNMENT HAS LAUNCHED A PROGRAMME OF ROAD IMPROVEMENT AND PROVISION OF NEW TRANSPORT FACILITIES TO ALLEVIATE THE

INADEQUACY OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT ON LANTAU DURING WEEKENDS AND PUBLIC HOLIDAYS, THE SECRETARY FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES, THE HON. DAVID AKERS-JONES TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

A $35 MILLION FIVE-YEAR ROAD IMPROVEMENT SCHEME STARTED IN 1976 TO PROVIDE A TWO-LANE HIGHWAY FROM MUI WO TO TAI O AND A NEW FERRY PIER AND BUS CONCOURSE, COSTING ABOUT $12.5 MILLION WERE CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION, AND WOULD BE IN OPERATION AT THE END OF THIS YEAR, HE SAID.

REPLYING TO A QUESTION FROM THE HON. CHARLES YEUNG, MR. AKERS- JONES SAID PUBLIC TRANSPORT ON LANTAU DURING WEEKENDS AND PUBLIC HOLIDAYS WAS NEITHER ADEQUATE FOR VILLAGERS NOR FOR PICNICKERS.

+THIS IS BECAUSE SOME 15,000 PICNICKERS GO TO LANTAU BY FERRY ON A NORMAL SUNDAY AND CREATE A DEMAND FOR TRANSPORT THAT CANNOT BE MET BY A WEEKDAY BUS FLEET WHICH SERVES A RESIDENT POPULATION OF APPROXIMATELY 15,000, + HE SAID.

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MR. AKERS-JONES ALSO POINTED OUT THAT THE EXISTING SOUTH LANTAU ROAD THE ONLY TRANSPORT CORRIDOR ON THE ISLAND COULD ONLY CARRY A LIMITED NUMBER OF VEHICLES, WHICH ALSO RESTRICTED BUS SERVICES.

TO ALLEVIATE THE SITUATION, MR. AKERS-JONES SAID, THE GOVERNMENT IN 1976 HAD STARTED WORK TO IMPROVE THE ROAD TO MAKE POSSIBLE THE OPERATION OF MORE BUSES AND THE INTRODUCTION OF DOUBLE DECKERS.

*THE BUS COMPANY HOPES TO OPERATE ITS FIRST DOUBLE-DECKERS NEXT YEAR, AND I HOPE THAT THE STANDARD OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES ON THE ISLAND WILL BE SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED THEREAFTER,+ HE ADDED.

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