XN000022-1982-02-23 — Page 9

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1982

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DIRECT PUBLIC TRANSPORT COMPLAINTS RISE

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THE TRANSPORT ADVISORY COMMITTEE HAS TODAY ENDORSED THE TRANSPORT COMPLAINTS UNIT'S QUARTERLY REPORT FOR THE OCTOBER TO DECEMBER PERIOD.

GOOD PUBLIC SUPPORT IS ENCOURAGING AS DIRECT COMPLAINTS ADDRESSED TO THE UNIT ROSE TO 1 411, AN INCREASE OF 36 PER CENT OVER THE PREVIOUS QUARTER, ACCORDING TO THE UNIT'S EXECUTIVE SECRETARY, MR JAMES KWAN.

+AS IN PREVIOUS QUARTERS, THE TWO MAJOR BUS COMPANIES GET THE BIGGEST SHARE OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES 251 AND 348 FOR CMB AND KMB RESPECTIVELY.

+IN THIS QUARTER, MORE PEOPLE HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THE FERRY SERVICES. FOR EXAMPLE THE CHEUNG CHAU TO HONG KONG FERRY SERVICE AND THE AUTOMATIC TURNSTILES RECENTLY INSTALLED BY THE STAR* FERRY.

+TRAFFIC CONGESTION IS NOW ANOTHER COMMON SUBJECT OF COMPLAINT. THE MORE COMMONLY KNOWN LOCATIONS ARE THE JUNCTIONS AT KING'S ROAD/ KAM HONG STREET AND BLUE POOL ROAD/TAI HANG ROAD ON HONG KONG ISLAND HOI YUEN ROAD/HING YIP STREET IN KWUN TONG: CLEAR WATER BAY ROAD AT ITS JUNCTION WITH LUNG CHEUNG ROAD NEAR PING SHEK ESTATE; LUNG CHEUNG ROAD BETWEEN SHATIN PASS ROAD AND HAMMER HILL ROAD AND THE TUEN MUN CIRCUIT AND PUI TO ROAD IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.

+THE LACK OF PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES ACROSS NEW CLEAR WATER BAY ROAD NEAR CHOI WAN ESTATE AND ACROSS YUEN WO ROAD NEAR KLASSE GRAND DEPARTMENT STORE IN SHA TIN ARE ALSO THE SUBJECT OF REPEATED COMPLAINTS, HE SAID.

IN HIS REPORT, MR KWAN ALSO HIGHLIGHTS KMB'S COMMENTS ON THE TRANSPORT COMPLAINTS UNIT'S ANNUAL REPORT 1980/81 ISSUED IN OCTOBER LAST YEAR,

+KMB POINTS OUT THAT IT HAS RECEIVED MUCH MORE COMPLAINTS ON ITS OWN DRIVER. WHILE ONLY 257 COMPLAINTS WERE RECORDED BY THE TRANSPORT COMPLAINTS UNIT IN 1980/81 AGAINST DRIVERS OF BOTH_CMB AND KMB, THE LATTER RECEIVED 1 614 COMPLAINTS ITSELF DURING THE SAME PERIOD AND DISMISSED 325 DRIVERS AS A RESULT.+

MR KWAN IS HAPPY TO NOTE FROM KMB'S REPORT THAT THESE FIGURES HAVE DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY SINCE THE INTRODUCTION OF THE GOOD SERVICE BONUS SCHEME IN JUNE LAST YEAR.

+KMB'S OWN RECORD ALSO REVEALS THAT TRAFFIC CONGESTION ACCOUNTS FOR 69.6 PER CENT OF THE MISSING BUS TRIPS.

+ ILLEGAL PARKING CONSTITUTES 77 PER CENT OF THE CASES REFERRED BY THE UNIT TO THE POLICE, HOWEVER, THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE REITERATES THAT LASTING EFFECTS ON ENFORCEMENT ACTION AGAINST ILLEGAL PARKING CANNOT BE EXPECTED AS LONG AS LEGAL PARKING SPACES ON AND OFF STREET CONTINUE TO FALL FAR BEHIND VEHICLE REGISTRATIONS, HE SAID.

MR KWAN