XN000022-1983-05-24 — Page 11

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TUESDAY, MAY 24, 1983

*WHEN FULLY DEVELOPED, THE LABORATORY WILL HAVE AN ESTABLISHMENT OF MORE THAN 30 TECHNICAL STAFF. THE POSTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE FILLED IN A PHASED PROGRAMME OF DEVELOPMENT OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS,+ MR TYLER SAID.

ALL THE MAJOR PRECISION MEASURING EQUIPMENT TO BE INSTALLED ARE NOW BEING BOUGHT, THE BUDGET FOR THIS IS ABOUT HK$11 MILLION, WITH OVERALL PROJECT COSTS TOTALLING HK$16 MILLION.

THE LABORATORY IS BEING ESTABLISHED BY THE INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT FOLLOWING A RECOMMENDATION BY THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON DIVERSIFICATION, AND ENDORSED BY THE INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT BOARD.

COMPUTER ISED TRAFFIC CONTROL LIKELY FOR TSUEN WAN

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THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT'S AREA TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEM, IN WHICH COMPUTERISED TRAFFIC LIGHT CONTROLS COPE AUTOMATICALLY WITH DAILY CHANGES IN THE TRAFFIC FLOW, WILL EVENTUALLY BE EXTENDED TO COVER TSUEN WAN, MR RICHARD SCURFIELD, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER FOR TRANSPORT (NEW TERRITORIES), SAID TODAY (TUESDAY).

THE SYSTEM IS NOW IN OPERATION AT 200 ROAD JUNCTIONS FROM LAI CHI KOK TO THE AIRPORT IN KOWLOON, AND AT 50 JUNCTIONS IN THE NORTH EASTERN PART OF HONG KONG ISLAND.

SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT TO THE TRAFFIC FLOW HAS BEEN NOTED SINCE THE SYSTEM WAS FIRST INTRODUCED IN 1977.

MR SCURFIELD NOTED, HOWEVER, THAT EXTENSION OF THE SCHEME TO TSUEN WAN WOULD PROBABLY NOT BE IMPLEMENTED UNTIL THE SCHEME HAD BEEN EXTENDED TO OTHER URBAN AREAS.

MR SCURFIELD WAS SPEAKING TO THE CHAIRMEN OF THE TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORT SUB-COMMITTEES OF SIX NEW TERRITORIES DISTRICT BOARDS WHO VISITED THE DEPARTMENT'S NT REGIONAL OFFICES.

MR SCURFIELD SAID TODAY'S VISIT WOULD FAMILIARISE THE VISITORS WITH THE OPERATIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT,

AT THE SAME TIME, IT ENABLED THE GROUP TO MEET SOME OF THE DEPARTMENT'S SENIOR STAFF MEMBERS WHO NORMALLY DO NOT ATTEND DISTRICT BOARD MEETINGS, HE SAID.

THE VISITORS HELD TALKS WITH THE OFFICIALS BEFORE GOING OFF TO SEE THE DEPARTMENT'S LICENSING OFFICES, PARKING METER DEPOT AND THE LION ROCK TUNNEL.

A SIMILAR VISIT TO THE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN ARRANGED FOR THE END OF THE MONTH FOR THE CHAIRMEN OF THE TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORT SUB-COMMITTEES OF THE KOWLOON DISTRICT BOARDS.

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