XN000022-1988-01-12 — Page 18

TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 1988

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TUNNEL TIDAL-FLOW ARRANGEMENT TO BE CONTINUED

WILL

THE TIDAL-FLOW ARRANGEMENT AT THE LION ROCK TUNNEL CONTINUE ON A REGULAR BASIS AFTER THE END OF THE TWO-WEEK TRIAL THIS FRIDAY (JANUARY 15).

ANNOUNCING THIS TODAY (TUESDAY), A SPOKESMAN FOR THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT SAID THAT THE GOVERNMENT DECISION TO IMPLEMENT THE ARRANGEMENT ON A REGULAR BASIS AS A SHORT-TERM MEASURE ΤΟ RELIEVE CONGESTION AT THE TUNNEL WAS SUPPORTED BY THE TRANSPORT ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND THE OMELCO TRANSPORT PANEL.

"THE TIDAL-FLOW

ARRANGEMENT WILL BE IMPLEMENTED MONDAY ΤΟ FRIDAY, STARTING FROM 6 AM AND ENDING AT 7.30 AM. AS SOON AS THE ARRANGEMENT ENDS, THE SIGNAL-CONTROLLED MERGING ARRANGEMENT WILL BEGIN TO OPERATE UNTIL TRAFFIC QUEUES ON THE SOUTHBOUND APPROACHES THE TUNNEL DISAPPEAR, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

TE

ΤΟ

THE TIDAL-FLOW ARRANGEMENT WAS TESTED FOR TWO DAYS ON DECEMBER 17 AND 18 LAST YEAR DURING THE ONE-WAY TOLL EXPERIMENT.

"AS THE ARRANGEMENT HAD PROVED EFFECTIVE IN REDUCING THE QUEUE LENGTH AND IN POSTPONING THE FORMATION OF TRAFFIC QUEUES ON SOUTHBOUND APPROACH ROADS TO THE TUNNEL, THE DEPARTMENT DECIDED TO TEST IT AGAIN UNDER THE NORMAL TWO-WAY TOLL SITUATION, THE SPOKESMAN SAID, .

IN THE PAST WEEK, AN EXTRA 500 то 650 SOUTHBOUND VEHICLES PASSED THROUGH THE TUNNEL BETWEEN 7 AM AND 7.30 AM. DURING THE THREE HOURS FROM 7 AM TO 10 AM, SOME 10,000 TO 10,300 SOUTHBOUND VEHICLES USING THE TUNNEL WERE RECORDED, COMPARED WITH SOME 9,300 VEHICLES ON NORMAL WEEKDAYS.

IN ADDITION, REDUCTIONS IN TRAFFIC QUEUE LENGTH AND JOURNEY TIME WERE ALSO OBSERVED, TRAFFIC QUEUES ON THE SOUTHBOUND APPROACH ROADS TO THE TUNNEL APPEARED ONLY AFTER 7.30 AM AND DIMINISHED MUCA EARLIER AT ABOUT 9.30 AM.

WITH THE USE OF SIGNAL-CONTROLLED MERGING ARRANGEMENT, A FIVE PER CENT INCREASE IN THE CAPACITY OF THE TUNNEL SOUTHBOUND WAS RECORDED. THIS TECHNIQUE HAD ALSO REDUCED SUBSTANTIALLY MERGING ACTIVITIES, THUS FACILITATING TRAFFIC FLOW IN THE TOLL PLAZA AREA.

"THE TIDAL-FLOW ARRANGEMENT AND THE SIGNAL-CONTROLLED MERGING ARRANGEMENT WILL BE REVIEWED WHEN OTHER MEASURES TO CONGESTION AT THE LION ROCK TUNNEL ARE INTRODUCED AT A LATER THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

RELIEVE STAGE,

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