XN000022-1979-05-19 — Page 3

SATURDAY, MAY 19, 1979

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NEARLY 7.7 MILLION VEHICLES USED LION ROCK TUNNEL LAST YEAR ******

NEARLY 7.7 MILLION VEHICLES USED THE TWIN-TUBE LION ROCK TUNNEL LAST YEAR, REPRESENTING AN INCREASE OF MORE THAN 1.3 MILLION OR 21 PER CENT OVER 1977.

SIXTY-EIGHT PER CENT OF THE 7,696,662 VEHICLES WERE PRIVATE CARS AND THE REST WERE LIGHT OR HEAVY GOODS VEHICLES AND FRANCHISED BUSES.

THE HIGHEST DAILY FIGURE OF VEHICLES USING THE TUNNELS LAST YEAR 30,000 -- WAS RECORDED ON DECEMBER 9, COMPARED WITH 1977'S 23,731 SET ON MARCH 20.

TOTAL REVENUE COLLECTED AMOUNTED TO $9.4 MILLION INCREASE OF $1.5 MILLION.

AN

THE SECOND

SINCE 1968 WHEN THE FIRST TUNNEL WAS OPENED WAS COMPLETED LAST OCTOBER -- 48.8 MILLION VEHICLES USED THE TUNNELS.

MEANWHILE, THE CROSS-HARBOUR TUNNEL ALSO SAW A 25 PER CENT INCREASE IN TRAFFIC WITH 27.3 MILLION VEHICLES RECORDED LAST YEAR.

REVENUE COLLECTED FOR THE YEAR WAS $135.5 MILLION, AN INCREASE OF 19 PER CENT OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR.

A SPOKESMAN FOR THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT TODAY (SATURDAY) ATTRIBUTED THE HEAVY USAGE OF THE TUNNELS TO THE EVER INCREASING NUMBER OF VEHICLES.

LAST YEAR, THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED VEHICLES ROSE FROM 207,512 TO 233,150, OR AN INCREASE OF 12.4 PER CENT - - THE HIGHEST SINCE 1976. THIS REPRESENTED A RATIO OF 210 VEHICLES FOR EVERY KILOMETRE OF ROAD IN HONG KONG.

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641 NOTICES ISSUED AGAINST UNAUTHORISED

BUILDINGS IN FIRST QUARTER OF YEAR

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THE BUILDINGS ORDINANCE OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC WORKS

DEPARTMENT ISSUED 641 NOTICES AGAINST UNAUTHORISED STRUCTURES DURING THE FIRST QUARTER OF THIS YEAR.

THIS WAS 164 MORE THAN THAT ISSUED IN THE PRECEDING THREE MONTHS.

/DURING THIS