XN000022-1982-02-15 — Page 3

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1982

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EXPANSION OF THE ROAD SYSTEM, INCLUDING TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT MEASURES-

EXPANSION AND IMPROVEMENT OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT, PARTICULARLY OFF-ROAD PUBLIC TRANSPORT- AND RESTRAINTS ON THE MORE INEFFICIENT USERS OF ROAD SPACE, PARTICULARLY PRIVATE VEHICLES AND TAXIS AND ALSO, POSSIBLY, THE MORE INEFFICIENT GOODS VEHICLES.

+IN GENERAL, THE FIRST AIM IS APPLAUDED UNTIL ITS COST RUNS INTO COMPETITION WITH OTHER DESIRED PROGRAMMES OF PUBLIC EXPENDITURE. THE SECOND IS ACCLAIMED UNTIL THE COSTS OF DEVELOPMENT REQUIRE HIGHER FARES ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT. THE THIRD IS BITTERLY RESISTED BY EXISTING CAR OWNERS, POTENTIAL CAR OWNERS AND BY THOSE WHO USE TAXIS IN PREFERENCE TO PUBLIC TRANSPORT OR PRIVATE CARS,+ MR SCOTT SAID.

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HE OUTLINED THE DEVELOPMENTS THAT WERE TAKING PLACE

THE ROAD PROGRAMME

SOME $1 200 MILLION WILL HAVE BEEN SPENT THIS FINANCIAL YEAR ON ROADS AND OTHER HIGHWAY PROJECTS, IN ADDITION TO $2 000 MILLION BEING SPENT ON THE MTR AND $800 MILLION ON KCR MODERNISATION AND ELECTRIFICATION. EVEN SO, BECAUSE OF RAPID GROWTH IN RECENT YEARS OF GOVERNMENT PROGRAMMES AND HIGHER PRIORITIES FOR SUCH PROGRAMMES AS HOUSING AND NEW TOWN DEVELOPMENT, THE ROAD CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMME HAS BEEN FALLING BEHIND THE ASSUMPTIONS MADE IN THE COMPREHENSIVE TRANSPORT STUDY,

IN THE AREA OF TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT, THE COMPUTERISED AREA TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM IN WEST KOWLOON IS ESTIMATED TO HAVE INCREASED THE ROAD CAPACITY THERE BY ABOUT EIGHT PER CENT AND PLANS ARE IN HAND TO EXTEND THE SYSTEM TO THE REST OF KOWLOON AND TO HONG KONG

ISLAND. THERE IS ALSO A PLAN TO ESTABLISH A SEGREGATED ROAD NETWORK LINKED TO A SOPHISTICATED CONTROL CENTRE.

STUDIES ARE IN HAND TO INTRODUCE A SERIES OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT PRIORITY SCHEMES INCLUDING BUS-ONLY LANES, SUCH A SCHEME HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN THE MID-LEVELS AND A REVISED ONE IS BEING PROPOSED FOR THE NORTH-EASTERN CORRIDOR OF HONG KONG ISLAND.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

THE INTEGRATED NETWORK OF THE MTR AND THE KCR COULD BE CATERING FOR SOMETHING LIKE THREE MILLION PASSENGERS A DAY. OFF-ROAD, BY THE LATE 1980S. WHEN COMPLETED, ON PRESENT PLANS BY 1986, THE NETWORK WILL HAVE OVER 70 KILOMETRES OF LINE, WITH TRANSPORT INTERCHANGES AT THE MAIN STATIONS AND LINKING ALL THE MOST DENSELY POPULATED AREAS IN HONG KONG ISLAND, KOWLOON, THE LARGE INDUSTRIAL TOWN OF TSUEN WAN/KWAI CHUNG AND THE THREE NEW TOWNS OF SHA TIN, TAI PO AND FANLING IN THE EASTERN NEW TERRITORIES.

/IN THE