XN000022-1979-05-10 — Page 4

THURSDAY, MAY 10, 1979

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BROAD PRINCIPLES IN GOVT TRANSPORT POLICY

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SIX IMPORTANT BROAD PRINCIPLES HAVE EMERGED FROM THE TRANSPORT WHITE PAPER TABLED AT THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL YESTERDAY (WEDNESDAY), DR. R. BUTLER, DEPUTY SECRETARY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, SAID AT A MEETING OF THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF TRANSPORT THIS (THURSDAY) EVENING.

IN A TALK ENTITLED +FORMULATING AND IMPLEMENTING GOVERNMENT TRANSPORT POLICY, DR. BUTLER SAID THE FIRST AND SECOND PRINCIPLES RELATED TO MEETING THE TERRITORY'S GROWING DEMAND FOR MOBILITY BECAUSE NOT TO DO SO WOULD PUT AN EFFECTIVE BRAKE ON THE ECONOMIC GROWTH.

TO MEET THE GROWING DEMAND AND TO PRESERVE MOBILITY, THE GOVERNMENT HAS TO BE GUIDED BY THREE OBJECTIVES:

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IMPROVEMENT IN THE ROAD SYSTEM-

* MORE ECONOMIC USE OF THE ROADS, AND

* EXPANSION AND IMPROVEMENT OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT.

THE THIRD PRINCIPLE WAS TO IMPROVE THE ROADS, DESPITE CONSTRAINTS BY PHYSICAL SPACE, SO LONG AS THE ECONOMIC BENEFIT OF DOING SO EXCEEDED THE ECONOMIC COST, HE ADDED.

+THE FOURTH PRINCIPLE IS THAT, IN MAKING MORE ECONOMIC USE OF THE ROADS, ALL THE TECHNOLOGICAL, HUMAN AND PHYSICAL RESOURCES, WHICH ARE ECONOMICALLY JUSTIFIED, SHOULD BE USED TO MAXIMISE THE FLOW OF PEOPLE AND VEHICLES,+ DR. BUTLER SAID.

THE FIFTH PRINCIPLE WAS TO GET THE TRAFFIC MIX RIGHT.+

+THIS MEANS THAT HAVING ESTABLISHED A HIERARCHY OF EFFICIENT ROAD USERS (STARTING WITH OFF-STREET SYSTEMS AND PROGRESSING TO BIG ON-STREET VEHICLES AND ENDING WITH SMALL ON-STREET VEHICLES). WE MUST INVEST IN THE MORE EFFICIENT, AND USE FISCAL AND OTHER MEANS TO ENCOURAGE THE USE OF THE MORE EFFICIENT, AND CONSTRAIN THE USE OF THE LESS EFFICIENT MEMBERS OF THIS HIERARCHY.

+THE 'OTHER MEANS INCLUDE BUS-ONLY LANE, PARKING CONTROL, PREVENTION OF OVER-LOADING AND GENERALLY IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN TERMS OF FREQUENCY, CONVENIENCE, AND COMFORT,+

THE SIXTH PRINCIPLE WAS TO INTEGRATE OFF-STREET MODES SO THAT THEY COULD BE USED TO THE FULL, HE ADDED.

EARLIER, DR. BUTLER OUTLINED HOW THE GOVERNMENT TRANSPORT POLICY WAS FORMULATED AND IMPLEMENTED AND THE ROLES HIS DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN PLAYING IN THESE MATTERS.

HE ALSO POINTED OUT THAT RECENTLY THE GOVERNMENT HAS BEGUN TO FORMULATE ITS POLICIES MORE OPENLY BY BRINGING PUBLIC TRANSPORT OPERATORS FORMALLY AND ACTIVELY INTO THE ARENA OF POLICY FORMULATION.

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