XN000022-1986-03-12 — Page 29

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 1996

SPECIAL FEATURES IN LIGHT RAIL FOR DISABLED ******

SPECIAL FACILITIES WERE DESIGNED IN THE LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT LRT SYSTEM FOR THE DISABLED, THE SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER, THE HON NEIL HENDERSON, TOLD THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.

AMONG THEM WERE RAMPS FOR ACCESS AT ALL LRT STOPS, A LEVEL PLATFORM SO THAT PASSENGERS NEED NOT CLIMB UP OR DOWN WHEN BOARDING OR ALIGHTING FROM THE VEHICLES, SPACE IN EACH VEHICLE FOR A WHEELCHAIR PASSENGER, AND A PUBLIC ADDRESS FACILITIES AT ALL STOPS.

AND AS A SAFETY MEASURE FOR THE BLIND, THE TEXTURE OF THE PLATFORM EDGE OF THE LRT WOULD BE DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF THE PLATFORM SURFACE, HE SAID.

ANSWERING QUESTIONS BY THE HON POON CHI-FAI, HE SAID THAT AVAILABLE FIGURES SHOWED THERE WERE 3 200 BLIND AND PHYSICALLY DISABLED PERSONS LIVING IN YUEN LONG AND TUEN MUN, BUT THE TOTAL NUMBER OF DISABLED PERSONS USING THE LRT COULD BE HIGHER IF VISITORS WERE INCLUDED FROM OTHER AREAS.

AS FOR THE REHABILITATION BUS SERVICES OPERATED BY THE HONG KONG SOCIETY FOR REHABILITATION, HE SAID THE SOCIETY DID NOT KEEP A RECORD OF WAITING TIME FOR INDIVIDUAL APPLICATIONS.

THE +REHABUS+ FLEET, HE SAID, HAD 21 VEHICLES RUNNING 19 ROUTES, WITH A SEATING CAPACITY OF 228, WHICH MATCHED THE NUMBER OF REGISTERED PASSENGERS.

THERE WAS A WAITING LIST OF ABOUT 60 FOR THE SERVICE.

TWO MORE BUSES WERE EXPECTED TO ARRIVE LATER THIS YEAR, BUT THOUGH THIS WOULD HELP TO MEET THE DEMAND, IN CASES WHERE ROUTES WERE OVERSUBSCRIBED OR WHERE NEW ROUTES WERE OPENED, IT WAS DOUBTFUL WHETHER DEMAND COULD BE COMPLETELY MET. THERE WOULD ALWAYS BE SOME PERSONS WHOSE REQUIREMENTS COULD NOT BE CATERED FOR BY THE SYSTEM.

+WE ARE THEREFORE EXAMINING ALTERNATIVES FOR THOSE WHOSE NEEDS CANNOT BE MET BY THESE ARRANGEMENTS, + HE SAID.

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