XN000022-1980-08-08 — Page 2

FRIDAY, AUGUST 8, 1980

PUBLIC TRANSPORT PRIORITY ON KING'S AND SHAU KEI WAN ROADS

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NEXT WEEK TWO NEW TRANSPORT SCHEMES WILL BRING RELIEF FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT PASSENGERS ON THE KING'S ROAD CORRIDOR.

ON WEDNESDAY (AUGUST 13) THE FIRST STAGE OF THE PUBLIC TRANSPORT PRIORITY SCHEME WHICH COVERS SHAU KEI WAN DISTRICT, WILL BE IMPLEMENTED.

ON THE SAME DAY, THE COASTAL FERRY SERVICE TO CENTRAL CAPACITY WILL BE INCREASED WITH THE OPENING OF A NEW PIER AT TAI KOO SHING.

THE FULL PUBLIC TRANSPORT PRIORITY SCHEME, UNDER WHICH BUS- ONLY AND TRAM-RESERVED LANES ALONG BOTH SIDES OF KING'S ROAD AND SHAU KEI WAN ROAD WILL BE PROVIDED BETWEEN CAUSEWAY BAY AND CHAI WAN ROAD, WAS APPROVED BY THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL IN JUNE.

STAGE 1 OF THE SCHEME PROVIDES FOR SECTIONS OF BUS-ONLY LANES ALONG THE EAST-BOUND AND WEST-BOUND CARRIAGEWAYS OF SHAU KEI WAN ROAD AND KING'S ROAD BETWEEN NGOI MAN STREET AND SHIPYARD LANE, AND TRAM-RESERVED LANES BETWEEN TAI ON STREET AND GREIG ROAD.

THE BUS-ONLY LANE WILL OPERATE DURING PEAK HOURS BETWEEN 7 AM AND 10 AM AND FROM 4 PM TO 7 PM DAILY.

THE TRAM-RESERVED LANE WILL BE PROHIBITED TO ALL MOTOR- VEHICLES,

STAGE 2 OF THE SCHEME, COVERING KING'S ROAD BETWEEN TAI KOO SHING AND JAVA ROAD, IS EXPECTED TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN OCTOBER.

THE LAST STAGE, COVERING KING'S ROAD BETWEEN SHU KUK STREET AND HING FAT STREET, IS EXPECTED TO BE READY BY THE END OF THE YEAR,

THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT'S ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER FOR TRANSPORT, MR NIGEL SHIPMAN, SAID IT HAD BEEN DECIDED TO GO AHEAD WITH THE SCHEME IN SHAU KEI WAN FIRST BECAUSE IMPLEMENTATION DID NOT REQUIRE MAJOR TRAFFIC ENGINEERING WORKS IN THAT DISTRICT.

BEFORE THE SCHEME WAS EXTENDED TO QUARRY BAY AND NORTH POINT NEW TRAFFIC SIGNALS WOULD BE INSTALLED AND SECTIONS OF CARRIAGEWAY WOULD BE WIDENED. THIS WORK IS NOW IN HAND.

MR SHIPMAN SAID THE SCHEME WAS BEING INTRODUCED TO IMPROVE PUBLIC TRANSPORT JOURNEY TIMES AND TO MAKE THE MOST EFFECTIVE USE OF AVAILABLE ROAD SPACE UNTIL THE NEW HIGHWAY ALONG THE EASTERN ISLAND CORRIDOR IS COMPLETED.

HE NOTED THAT THE JOURNEY TIME OF CMB ROUTE NO. 80 BETWEEN CHAI WAN AND CENTRAL DETERIORATED FROM 50 MINUTES IN 1974 TO 71 MINUTES TODAY.

HE CAUTIONED THAT IMPROVEMENTS FROM THE FIRST STAGE OF THE SCHEME WOULD BE RELATIVELY SLIGHT, BECAUSE IT WAS ONLY PHYSICALLY POSSIBLE TO PROVIDE THE BUS-ONLY LANES AND TRAM-RESERVES IN SMALL STRETCHES.

/HOWEVER, BENEFITS