XN000022-1982-03-05 — Page 6

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FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 1982

+WE WILL ALSO BE WATCHING THE MTR'S NATHAN ROAD AND CROSS HARBOUR SECTION TO SEE HOW THAT BEARS UP WHEN THE ISLAND LINE OPENS IN 1986.+

FINALLY, ON RAILWAY MATTERS, DURING THE PRESENT CALENDAR YEAR, THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD REACH A DECISION ON WHETHER TO EXTEND THE MTR TO JUNK BAY, WITH A VIEW TO DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW TOWN OF 300 000 PEOPLE THERE.

SPEAKING ABOUT TUEN MUN NEW TOWN, DR BUTLER SAID IT WAS RELATIVELY ISOLATED, BUT THE HOVERFERRY SERVICE INTRODUCED LAST YEAR HAD NEATLY LINKED THE TOWN, BY A 30-MINUTE AIR-CONDITIONED JOURNEY, WITH KOWLOON AND HONG KONG ISLAND.

MOREOVER, THE BUS SERVICE THERE WAS PRETTY REASONABLE FROM READING OF THE FIGURES AND FROM THE REACTIONS FROM THE DISTRICT BOARD AND LETTERS TO THE PRESS.

+ONCE THE TSUEN WAN EXTENSION OPENS LATER THIS YEAR, THE PEOPLE OF TUEN MUN SHOULD HAVE A PARTICULARLY GOOD TRANSPORT SERVICE LINKING THEM BY BUS AND RAIL WITH KOWLOON/HONG KONG ISLAND, DR BUTLER SAID.

+LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE, I HOPE THAT THE TUEN MUN TRAMWAY NEGOTIATIONS REACH A SUCCESSFUL CONCLUSION BUT IF THEY DO NOT, THERE CAN BE NO QUESTION IN MY MIND BUT THAT TUEN MUN MUST STILL HAVE ITS TRAMWAY, WHOSOEVER OPERATES IT.+

AN OBVIOUS GAP IN OUR PRESENT RAILWAY PLANNING WAS FOR A RAIL LINK BETWEEN TUEN MUN AND TSUEN WAN - AND THIS POSSIBILITY WOULD SOON, HE HOPED, BE INVESTIGATED.

+ HAVE SPOKEN OF THREE OF OUR NEW TOWNS WAN AND TUEN MUN, DR BUTLER SAID.

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SHA TIN, TSUEN

AS REGARDS THE OTHERS, TAI PO, FANLING/SHEK WU HUI AND YUEN LONG, APART FROM THE FIRST TWO BEING SERVED BY THE ELECTRIFIED KCR IN 1983, WE WERE WELL UNDERWAY WITH THE NEW TERRITORIES CIRCULAR ROAD AND THE SHA TIN/TAI PO COASTAL ROAD.

THESE AND THE CASTLE PEAK ROAD WOULD ALL BE ESSENTIALLY DUAL CARRIAGEWAY EACH OF THREE LANES BY THE MID-1980'S.

+SO THINGS LOOK QUITE BRIGHT ON THAT FRONT: PROVIDED ALWAYS THAT WE GENERALLY RESTRAIN THE EXPANDING DEMAND FOR ROAD USE IN LINE WITH THE EXPANDING SUPPLY OF ROAD SPACE, HE SAID.

+FINALLY+, DR BUTLER SAID, +LET ME SAY A WORD ABOUT THE PHILOSOPHY GUIDING US ON BALANCED DEVELOPMENT IN THE NEW TOWNS.

+WHILST IT IS OBVIOUSLY SENSIBLE TO ESTABLISH JOB OPPORTUNITIES IN LINE WITH THE HOUSING AUTHORITY PROVIDING FLATS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, IT IS EQUALLY OBVIOUS THAT THERE IS ALWAYS BOUND TO BE A MIS-MATCH IN AS SMALL A PLACE AS THE TERRITORY OF HONG KONG.+

BECAUSE DISTANCES WERE SO SHORT HERE YOUNGER MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY WOULD OFTEN CONTINUE WITH THEIR JOBS IN THE OLDER URBAN AREA AFTER PARENTS HAD MOVED TO A NEW HOME IN SHA TIN OR TUEN MUN.

/SIMILARLY, JOB