XN000022-1979-05-09 — Page 4

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 1979

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IT IS POSSIBLE THAT A LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT FACILITY WILL BE BUILT ON THE NORTH SHORE OF HONG KONG ISLAND LINKED UNDERGROUND TO THE MTR IN CENTRAL AT ADMIRALTY AND CHATER/PEDDER STATIONS. THUS EFFECTIVELY TURNING THIS FACILITY INTO A FURTHER EXTENSION OF THE MTR. A MAJOR STUDY IS BEING UNDERTAKEN ON THE DETAILED FEASIBILITY OF A LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT LINE.

* STEPS WILL BE TAKEN TO MODERNISE THE BUS FLEETS AND TO

IMPROVE SERVICES. THE EXPANDED AND UPGRADED ROAD SYSTEM WILL PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR EXPRESS BUS SERVICES TO OPERATE ON MANY ROUTES, BOTH IN THE URBAN AREAS AND THE NEW TERRITORIES AND THESE WILL HELP TO IMPROVE JOURNEY TIMES.

* VERY GOOD FACILITIES WILL BE PROVIDED AT A NUMBER OF

STATIONS FOR PASSENGERS TO INTERCHANGE WITH BUSES. THE MORE IMPORTANT EXAMPLES WILL BE ADMIRALTY STATION IN HONG KONG, THE MTR TERMINAL AT TSUEN WAN, AND HUNG HOM STATION AND THE THREE NEW SHA TIN STATIONS AS REGARDS THE KCR.

THESE WILL ADD FURTHER TO THE SPEED AND CONVENIENCE OF JOURNEY TIMES FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT PASSENGERS.

ADDITIONALLY, THE ELECTR IF ICATION OF THE KCR MAIN LINE WILL MEAN A LARGE INCREASE IN THE FREIGHT CARRYING CAPACITY OF THE RAILWAY AND THIS SHOULD, IN TURN, HELP TO TAKE PRESSURE OFF THE ROADS.

ON THE MORE EFFICIENT USE OF THE ROADS, MR. JONES STRESSED THAT, AS TIME WENT ON, SOME DEGREE OF CONSTRAINT WOULD NEED TO BE APPLIED TO PRIVATE TRAVEL.

+GIVEN THE SMALL SIZE OF HONG KONG AND OUR CROWDED TRAFFIC CONDITION, THERE IS BOUND TO BE A LIMIT TO THE NUMBER OF PRIVATE CARS, TAXIS AND HIRE CARS THAT CAN BE ACCOMMODATED, NO MATTER HOW MANY MORE ROADS WE ACTUALLY BUILD, HE SAID.

THERE ARE NOW ABOUT 145,000 PRIVATE CARS, PLUS TAXIS WHOSE USAGE IS EQUIVALENT TO AT LEAST ANOTHER 100,000 PRIVATE CARS.

THE WHITE PAPER POINTED OUT THAT, IF NO CONSTRAINTS WERE APPLIED, THE NUMBER OF PRIVATE CARS COULD GROW TO OVER 400,000 BY 1991.

+EVEN WITH THE MUCH IMPROVED ROAD SYSTEM, 400,000 OR MORE CARS WOULD LEAD TO UNACCEPTABLE CONGESTION ON CONSIDERABLE STRETCHES OF OUR ROAD SYSTEM, MR. JONES SAID.

HE ADDED THAT A SOMEWHAT SIMILAR SITUATION AROSE IN THE CASE OF LIGHT GOODS VEHICLES, WHOSE NUMBERS HAVE BEEN INCREASING VERY RAPIDLY IN THE PAST FEW YEARS, AND OF PUBLIC LIGHT BUSES IN THE MORE HEAVILY UTILISED URBAN CORRIDORS.

AND, AMONG OTHER THINGS, TWO FURTHER ASPECTS WHICH WERE NOT COVERED IN DETAIL IN THE WHITE PAPER, NAMELY PARKING POLICY AND FUTURE POLICY ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLIC LIGHT BUSES AND MAXICABS, WERE ALSO UNDER EXAMINATION, MR. JONES SAID.

/MR. JONES