XN000022-1982-08-15 — Page 2

SUNDAY, AUGUST 15, 1982

POK FU LAM BUS ONLY LANE A SUCCESS

X X X

LIKE SHANGHAI STREET IN KOWLOON, THE BUS-ONLY LANE SCHEME IN POK FU LAM ROAD HAS PROVED TO BE A GREAT SUCCESS, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT SAID TODAY.

PRIOR TO ITS IMPLEMENTATION LAST OCTOBER, BUS JOURNEY ALONG THE 1.2 KILOMETRE NORTHBOUND CARRIAGEWAY BETWEEN QUEEN MARY HOSPITAL AND POKFIELD ROAD TOOK 20 MINUTES DURING THE MORNING PEAK.

NOW, IT ONLY TAKES SEVEN MINUTES, ACCORDING TO A RECENT SURVEY CARRIED OUT BY THE DEPARTMENT.

FOLLOWING THE PARTIAL OPENING OF THE ABERDEEN TUNNEL, OTHER VEHICLES ARE ALSO TRAVELLING FASTER AND THE STUDY SHOWED THAT JOURNEY TIME HAS BEEN SPEEDED UP TO 14 MINUTES COMPARED WITH 19 MINUTES IN THE PAST.

FURTHER IMPROVEMENTS ARE EXPECTED WHEN THE ROAD BETWEEN POKFIELD ROAD AND CHIU SHEUNG SCHOOL IS WIDENED EARLY NEXT YEAR.

THE SHANGHAI STREET SCHEME IMPLEMENTED SIX YEARS AGO, STILL COPES WITH 200 BUSES HOURLY AT AN AVERAGE SPEED OF 15 KILOMETRES PER HOUR.

THIS HAS RESULTED IN A SUBSTANTIAL SAVING OF JOURNEY TIME FOR PASSENGERS AND FOR THIS REASON, IT WILL BE CONTINUED.

MEANWHILE, ANOTHER SURVEY IN YU CHAU STREET SHOWED THAT DESPITE A HIGHER VOLUME OF VEHICLES USING THE SECTION BETWEEN PORTLAND STREET AND YEN CHOW STREET, CIRCULATION HAS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED FOLLOWING NEW TRAFFIC ARRANGEMENTS

INTRODUCED LAST APRIL.

THESE INCLUDED CLEARWAY RESTRICTIONS, REARRANGEMENT OF BUS STOPS AND IMPROVEMENT TO TRAFFIC SIGNĀLS.

ROAD PROJECT FOR JUNK BAY DEVELOPMENT

THE NEW TERRITORIES DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT WILL SHORTLY INVITE TENDERS FOR A CONTRACT WHICH WILL BE THE FIRST STEP IN A PROGRAMME TO PROVIDE ACCESS FROM KOWLOON TO A NEW TOWN AT JUNK BAY, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE JUNK BAY DEVELOPMENT OFFICE OF THE NTDD SAID TODAY (SUNDAY).

THE CONTRACT CALLS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF 1.2 KILOMETRES OF SINGLE TWO-LANE CARRIAGEWAY OF 10.3 METRES WIDE BEGINNING NEAR THE EASTERN END OF SAU MAU PING ROAD AND RUNNING ALONG VIRGIN HILLSIDES TO CONNECT WITH THE EXISTING ANDERSON ROAD NEAR MAU YAU TONG. CLIMBING LANES AND A FOOTPATH ON ONE SIDE WILL ALSO BE PROVIDED.

THE SPOKESMAN