XN000022-1982-12-08 — Page 15

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1982

TUEN MUN HIGHWAY SPEEDING PROSECUTIONS UP

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PROSECUTIONS FOR SPEEDING ON TUEN MUN HIGHWAY HAVE MORE THAN TREBLED THIS YEAR.

THE SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT, THE HON ALAN SCOTT SAID TODAY THERE HAD BEEN 11 197 PROSECUTIONS UP TO NOVEMBER 21 THIS YEAR. LAST YEAR THERE WERE 3 069 PROSECUTIONS, AND 2 519 IN 1980.

MR SCOTT WAS REPLYING TO A QUESTION FROM THE HON WONG LAM IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ON MEASURES TO DISCOURAGE SPEEDING ON TUEN MUN HIGHWAY.

MR SCOTT SAID, THE GOVERNMENT ALREADY FIRMLY DISCOURAGES DRIVERS FROM REGARDING THE TUEN MUN HIGHWAY AS A HIGH-SPEED MOTORWAY BY IMPOSING A SPEED LIMIT OF 40 MPH AND TAKING ENFORCEMENT ACTION AGAINST OFFENDERS.+

HE ADDED THAT A LARGE NUMBER OF SIGNS AND WARNINGS HAD BEEN PUT UP ALONG THE HIGHWAY.

22 000 VEHICLES INSPECTED AT KOWLOON BAY CENTRE

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SOME 22 000 VEHICLES HAVE BEEN INSPECTED SINCE THE OPENING OF THE KOWLOON BAY VEHICLE EXAMINATION CENTRE IN SEPTEMBER 1979, THE SECRETARY FOR TRANSPORT, THE HON ALAN SCOTT SAID TODAY.

REPLYING TO A QUESTION FROM THE HON S.L. CHEN, MR SCOTT SAID THAT DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF VEHICLE, THE FAILURE RATES VARIED FROM 35 PER CENT TO 60 PER CENT.

+THUS MANY VEHICLES ARE INSPECTED TWICE OR EVEN MORE TIMES, AND THE TOTAL NUMBER OF INSPECTIONS WAS 35 676. OF THESE 26 848 WERE OF GOODS VEHICLES, 7 865 OF PLB'S AND 963 OF PRIVATE CARS, HE SAID.

HE SAID THE EXAMINATION CENTRE HAS SPARE CAPACITY, BEING DESIGNED TO CARRY OUT 41 000 INSPECTIONS A YEAR.

SO FAR IN 1982, THE DEMAND HAS BEEN FOR A TOTAL OF 20 104 INSPECTIONS.

THE WAITING TIME FOR A RE-TEST IS NOW VERY REASONABLE FOR MOST CATEGORIES OF VEHICLE, AND SHOULD BE REDUCED FURTHER IN THE SHORT TERM BY RECRUITMENT OF MORE STAFF FOR THE KOWLOON BAY CENTRE, AND IN THE LONGER TERM BY THE DEVELOPMENT OF MORE EXAMINATION FACILITIES, HE SAID.

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