XN000022-1982-02-19 — Page 8

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1982

WORK HAS ALSO BEGUN TO EXPAND THE WEST KOWLOON ATC SYSTEM TO COVER THE WHOLE OF THE KOWLOON PENINSULA AS FAR EAST AS THE AIRPORT.

+WHEN THE PROJECT IS COMPLETED, ABOUT 230 JUNCTIONS WILL BE COMPUTER CONTROLLED, COMPARED WITH THE PRESENT 130. THE ATC SYSTEM ALLOWS SIGNAL TIMINGS AT JUNCTIONS TO BE AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLED FROM THE COMPUTER CENTRE.

+THE COMPUTER SELECTS FIXED SIGNAL TIMING PLANS FROM ITS MEMORY ACCORDING TO A TIMETABLE FOR EACH LOCATION. IF TRAFFIC CONDITIONS ARE ABNORMAL, THE COMPUTER OPERATOR CAN ADJUST TIMINGS TO SUIT THE SITUATION, HE SAID.

THE ATC COMPUTER ALSO MONITORS THE SYSTEM FOR FAULTS AND REPORTS THEM TO THE OPERATOR. THE COMPUTER MEMORY CONTAINS SPECIAL PLANS WHICH OVERRIDE NORMAL TIMINGS AND GIVE GREEN SIGNAL PRIORITY TO FIRE ENGINES.

+ IF THE COMPUTER CONTROLLING TRAFFIC BREAKS DOWN, A BACK-UP COMPUTER IMMEDIATELY TAKES OVER, THUS AVOIDING TRAFFIC DISRUPTION,+ MR LEE SAID.

THE ATC EXPANSION IN KOWLOON IS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED BY EARLY NEXT YEAR AT A TOTAL COST OF ABOUT $38 MILLION.

THE WEST KOWLOON ATC SYSTEM WAS INSTALLED IN 1977 AND INITIALLY CONTROLLED 83 JUNCTIONS. A STUDY IN 1978 SHOWED THAT THE SYSTEM SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED TRAFFIC DELAYS.

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MORE PLACES DESIGNATED FOR PUBLIC MEETINGS

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THE GOVERNMENT HAS INCREASED TO 19 THE NUMBER OF AREAS DESIGNATED UNDER THE PUBLIC ORDER ORDINANCE AS PLACES WHERE, WHILE THEY STILL REQUIRE PRIOR NOTIFICATION TO THE POLICE, PUBLIC MEETINGS MAY ROUTINELY BE HELD.

THE ADDITIONAL PUBLIC AREAS ARE ALL IN THE NEW TERRITORIES AND WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR USE BY DISTRICT BOARD CANDIDATES TO CAMPAIGN FOR ELECTION.

THESE NEW PUBLIC AREAS ARE SET OUT UNDER THE PUBLIC ORDER ORDINANCE (DESIGNATED PUBLIC AREAS) ORDER 1982 PUBLISHED TODAY. THEY ARE LOCATED AT:

ISLANDS DISTRICT:

NORTH DISTRICT:

THE OPEN SPACE IN FRONT OF PAK TAI TEMPLE ON CHEUNG CHAU-

SHEK WU HU! PLAYGROUND, LUEN WO HUT PLAYGROUND, FANLING RECREATION GROUND, TA KWU LING PLAYGROUND-

TAI PO DISTRICT: