XN000022-1988-06-18 — Page 3

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SATURDAY, JUNE 18, 1988

ON THE BASIS OF OTHER SURVEYS CONDUCTED BY THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT, IT WAS ESTIMATED THAT VEHICLES IN HONG KONG COVERED ON AVERAGE 17.63 MILLION VEHICLE-KILOMETRES PER DAY LAST YEAR, REPRESENTING A 7.9 PER CENT INCREASE OVER 1986.

OF THIS FIGURE, 4.07 MILLION VEHICLE-KILOMETRES WERE MADE ON HONG KONG ISLAND, 6.68 MILLION VEHICLE-KILOMETRES IN KOWLOON AND 6.88 MILLION VEHICLE-KILOMETRES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.

THE MAJOR ROAD USERS IN THE PERIOD BETWEEN 7 AM AND 11 PM WERE GOODS VEHICLES, PRIVATE CARS AND TAXIS.

ACCOUNTED

IT WAS ESTIMATED THAT THESE THREE CLASSES OF VEHICLE FOR ABOUT 31 PER CENT, 27 PER CENT AND 23 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY OF THE TOTAL VEHICLE KILOMETRAGE.

PASSENGER VANS, PUBLIC LIGHT BUSES [PLB) AND BUSES EACH ACCOUNTED FOR AROUND 5 PER CENT OF TOTAL VEHICLE KILOMETRAGE WHILE MOTORCYCLES CONTRIBUTED ONLY 2 TO 3 PER CENT.

BETWEEN 1986 AND 1987, IT IS ESTIMATED THAT GOODS VEHICLE KILOMETRAGE INCREASED BY AROUND 20 PER CENT. BUSES, TAXIS AND MOTORCYCLES ALSO RECORDED INCREASES OF ABOUT 8 PER CENT, 5 PER CENT AND 3 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY. VEHICLE KILOMETRAGE FOR PRIVATE CARS AND PLB'S REMAINED FAIRLY CONSTANT.

THE INCREASE IN VEHICULAR TRAFFIC COINCIDED WITH THE RISE IN THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES LICENSED DURING LAST YEAR.

THE TOTAL NUMBER OF VEHICLES LICENSED AT THE END OF 1987 WAS 289,386, ACCOUNTING FOR A 8.5 PER CENT INCREASE OVER 1986. OF THESE, 145,809 WERE PRIVATE CARS, SHOWING A 4.9 PER CENT INCREASE OVER THE PRECEDING YEAR,

THIS WAS THE FIRST UPTURN IN THE NUMBER OF PRIVATE CARS LICENSED AGAINST THE DECLINING TREND SINCE 1981. THE NUMBER HAD BEEN DROPPING SINCE THE INTRODUCTION OF HEFTY

IN FIRST REGISTRATION TAX AND LICENCE FERS IN 1982.

INCREASES

GOODS VEHICLES SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT

INCREASE. THE NUMBER OF

GOODS VEHICLES LICENSED IN 1987 WAS 94,368, AN INCREASE OF 19.1 PER CENT OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR.

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