XN000022-1982-07-16 — Page 3

FRIDAY, JULY 16, 1982

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+IT HAS BECOME CLEAR THAT IT IS DESIRABLE TO HAVE DRIVING TESTS AND LICENCES SPECIFICALLY FOR DIFFERENT SIZES OF GOODS VEHICLES RATHER THAN ALLOWING A DRIVER WHO HAS BEEN TESTED ON A RELATIVELY SMALL VEHICLE TO TAKE OUT THE LARGEST OF GOODS VEHICLES.+

GOODS VEHICLES WILL BE CLASSIFIED BY THEIR GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT, INSTEAD OF THE UNLADEN WEIGHT AS AT PRESENT, AND THIS WILL BE OF ADVANTAGE IN DEALING WITH OVERLOADED VEHICLES BECAUSE IN WEIGHING THE VEHICLE WITH ITS LOAD, THERE WILL BE IMMEDIATE EVIDENCE AS TO WHETHER AN OFFENCE HAS BEEN COMMITTED.

THE BILL ALSO CONTAINS PROVISIONS FOR AN IMPROVED METHOD OF LICENSING THE OPERATIONS OF PUBLIC LIGHT BUSES AND BUSES WHICH ARE NOT SUBJECT TO CONTROLS UNDER THE PUBLIC OMNIBUS SERVICES ORDINANCE.

AT PRESENT THE COMMISSIONER FOR TRANSPORT CAN IMPOSE SPECIFIC OPERATING CONDITIONS BY WAY OF A LETTER ISSUED TOGETHER WITH AN OPERATOR'S ORDINARY VEHICLE LICENCE, BUT THIS IS A CLUMSY SYSTEM TO ADMINISTER, PARTICULARLY WHEN APPLIED TO A FLEET OF VEHICLES.

IT IS PROPOSED THAT OPERATORS OF NON-FRANCHISED PUBLIC BUS SERVICES, MAXICAB SERVICES, PUBLIC LIGHT BUSES OR PRIVATE BUSES SHOULD HAVE, IN ADDITION TO THE VEHICLE LICENCE, A PASSENGER SERVICE LICENCE WHICH WOULD HAVE ALL THE LICENSING CONDITIONS IN ONE DOCUMENT. SUCH LICENCES ARE A COMMON FEATURE OF SIMILAR TRANSPORT LEGISLATION OVERSEAS.

SOME IMPORTANT CHANGES ARE BEING MADE WITH REGARD TO TRAFFIC OFFENCES.

IN 1977 THE ENGLISH CRIMINAL LAW ACT ABOLISHED THE OFFENCE OF +DANGEROUS DRIVING AND CAUSING DEATH THEREBY+ AND SUBSTITUTED THE OFFENCES OF +CAUSING DEATH BY RECKLESS DRIVING+ AND +RECKLESS DRIVING+, IT IS CONSIDERED THAT HONG KONG SHOULD FOLLOW THIS EXAMPLE, AND THIS IS REFLECTED IN THE BILL.

THE PRESENT LEGISLATION ON SPEED LIMITS WHEREBY THE LIMITS ARE DETERMINED BY THE DISPOSITION OF STREET LIGHTS WILL BE REPLACED BY A MORE STRAIGHTFORWARD PROVISION IMPOSING A GENERAL SPEED LIMIT OF 50 KILOMETRES PER HOUR FOR THE TERRITORY, EXCEPT ON ROADS SIGNPOSTED TO INDICATE A HIGHER LIMIT OR IN SOME CASES A LOWER ONE.

THE BILL ALSO CONTAINS A NUMBER OF MINOR BUT DESIRABLE CHANGES. FOR EXAMPLE, THE AGE AT WHICH A CHILD MAY RIDE A BICYCLE WITHOUT ADULT SUPERVISION IS INCREASED FROM EIGHT TO 11 YEARS. THE COURTS MAY REQUIRE A PERSON CONVICTED OF CERTAIN DRIVING OFFENCES TO SUBMIT HIMSELF TO A DRIVING TEST. AND CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE TO SPEED UP THE PROCESS FOR THE REMOVAL AND DISPOSAL OF ABANDONED VEHICLES. THE REGULATIONS TO BE MADE UNDER THIS ORDINANCE WILL CONTAIN MORE DETAILED IMPROVEMENTS TO THE EXISTING LEGISLATION.

MR SCOTT SAID IT WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE TO IMPLEMENT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS BILL OR THE REGULATIONS IMMEDIATELY.