XN000022-1986-01-04 — Page 2

SATURDAY, JANUARY 4, 1986

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BUS SERVICES STILL MAIN COMPLAINT

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PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES AND ROAD CONGESTION REMAINED THE MAIN SUBJECTS OF PUBLIC COMPLAINTS ABOUT TRANSPORT MATTERS, ACCORDING TO THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TRANSPORT COMPLAINTS UNIT (TCU) RELEASED TODAY (SATURDAY).

THE REPORT COVERS THE PERIOD FROM OCTOBER 1984 TO SEPTEMBER 1985. IN THE 12 MONTHS, THE TCU, A STANDING BODY UNDER THE TRANSPORT ADVISORY COMMITTEE, RECORDED 4 992 COMPLAINTS.

ALMOST HALF OF THE COMPLAINTS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICES, ANOTHER ONE-FIFTH STEMMED FROM ROAD CONGESTION. OTHER MAJOR COMPLAINT AREAS WERE TRAFFIC CONDITIONS, ENFORCEMENT AND ROAD MAINTENANCE.

THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY OF TCU, MR STEPHEN PANG, SAID COMPLAINTS ABOUT BUS SERVICES WERE STILL THE MOST NUMEROUS. AS IN THE YEAR BEFORE, THEY ACCOUNTED FOR ONE-THIRD OF ALL THE COMPLAINTS RECEIVED. THE ACTUAL NUMBER, HOWEVER, WENT DOWN BY 12 PER CENT FROM 1 734 IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR TO 1 530. THE MAIN AREAS OF CONCERN WERE INADEQUATE SERVICE AND STANDARD OF SERVICE.

ALTOGETHER 646 COMPLAINTS ABOUT INADEQUATE BUS SERVICES WERE RECEIVED. BUS SERVICES FOR HONG KONG ISLAND DREW MORE COMPLAINTS THAN IN THE PREVIOUS YEAR. BUT SIMILAR COMPLAINTS CONCERNING. KOWLOON AND THE NEW TERRITORIES DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY.

COMPLAINTS ABOUT INADEQUATE BUS SERVICES FOR HONG KONG ISLAND ROSE FROM 94 IN 1983 - 84 TO 149. THERE WAS AN INCREASED DEMAND FOR BETTER SERVICE FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT. COMPLAINTS FROM THIS DISTRICT ACCOUNTED FOR 81 CASES AND TWO-THIRDS OF THEM WERE MADE BY RESIDENTS OF ABERDEEN, AP LEI CHAU AND WAH FU. THESE COMPLAINTS GENERALLY REFLECTED THE VIEW THAT AS THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT WAS NOT SERVED BY THE MASS TRANSIT RAILWAY (MTR), BUS SERVICES FOR THE DISTRICT SHOULD BE STRENGTHENED TO MEET GROWING DEMAND.

+THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT IS CONDUCTING AN OVERALL REVIEW OF THE IMPACT OF THE MTR ISLAND LINE ON OTHER MODES OF PUBLIC TRANSPORT. TCU WAS ADVISED THAT THE ISLAND LINE WHICH CAME INTO OPERATION ON MAY 31 LAST YEAR HAD INCREASED PUBLIC TRANSPORT CAPACITY ALONG THE NORTHERN SHORE OF HONG KONG ISLAND.

+THE POSSIBILITY OF RE-ALLOCATING EXISTING RESOURCES TO MEET THE CHANGING NEEDS OF BUS SERVICES IN THE VARIOUS DISTRICTS ON HONG KONG ISLAND WOULD BE THOROUGHLY ASSESSED IN CONSULTATION WITH DISTRICT BOARDS CONCERNED,+ MR PANG SAID.

THERE WERE 431 COMPLAINTS ABOUT INADEQUATE BUS SERVICES FOR KOWLOON AND THE NEW TERRITORIES, A DROP OF 180 CASES OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR'S FIGURE. ALTHOUGH ABOUT 70 PER CENT OF THE COMPLAINTS (305 CASES) WERE CONCERNED WITH BUS SERVICES FOR THE NEW TERRITORIES, THE ACTUAL FIGURE WAS LOWER BY MORE THAN ONE-THIRD THAN THE 478 RECORDED IN 1983-84.

/MR PANG