XN000022-1990-12-20 — Page 5

COULD

MR FARRELL SAID PRIVATE VEHICLE EMISSION TESTING CENTRES THEN BE SET UP TO INCREASE TESTING CAPACITY TO ABOUT 5,000 VEHICLES PER MONTH.

"EPD NOW TESTS ABOUT 1,600 SMOKY VEHICLES SPOTTED BY ITS TEAM OF 250 TRAINED OBSERVERS EACH MONTH, BUT THIS IS NOT ENOUGH то THE SMOKY VEHICLE PROBLEM.

SOLVE

"IT IS THEREFORE PROPOSED TO ENLIST THE SUPPORT OF GARAGES TO INCREASE THE TESTING CAPACITY,

PRIVATE

HE SAID.

HE ADDED THAT INITIALLY ABOUT 12 TESTING CENTRES WOULD BE SET UP AND, TOGETHER WITH EPD'S OWN TESTING CENTRE AT HO MAN SHOULD BE ABLE TO TEST AT LEAST 5,000 VEHICLES PER MONTH.

TIN, THEY

"AS WITH THE CURRENT SCHEME, FAILURE TO PASS THE TEST OR PRESENT THE VEHICLE FOR TESTING WILL LEAVE THE VEHICLE LICENCE CANCELLATION.

"IN ADDITION, A $140 FEE WILL APPLY TO ALL FOR EVERY TEST, AND COMPLIANCE WILL BE REQUIRED PERIOD.

TO

LIABLE то

TYPES OF

WITHIN A

VEHICLES SHORTER

"THE PROPOSED SCHEME, IF PASSED BY THE WILL BE IMPLEMENTED IN MID-1991,

LEGISLATIVE

中

HE SAID.

EXCO APPROVES LIMITATION ON NUMBER OF TAXI LICENCES

COUNCIL,

THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL HAS APPROVED THAT NO NEW TERRITORIES TAXIS SHOULD BE ISSUED IN 1990, AND FOR 1991 AND 1992, NEW LICENCES FOR A TOTAL OF NOT MORE THAN 100 NEW NT TAXI LICENCES SHOULD BE ISSUED.

THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL ALSO APPROVED THAT THE LICENCES FOR URBAN TAXIS SHOULD NOT BE MORE THAN 400 EVERY

ISSUE OF NEW AND THE CURRENT MORATORIUM ON THE ISSUE OF

TWO YEARS NEW TAXIS SHOULD REMAIN IN FORCE FOR ANOTHER TWO YEARS.

LICENCES FOR LANTAU

1985.

THE SIZE OF THE LANTAU TAXI FLEET HAD REMAINED

AT 40 SINCE

EXPLAINED

THAT THE

A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN TODAY (THURSDAY) DECISION WAS BASED ON THE LEVEL OF AND PUBLIC DEMAND SERVICES,

FOR THE VIABILITY

TAXI OF THE TAXI TRADE AND ADDITIONAL LICENCES FOR TAXI ON ROAD CONGESTION.

THE EFFECT OF

HE ADDED THAT THESE LIMITS FOR TAXI REGULARLY REVIEWED.

LICENCES WOULD BE

DETAILS OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL'S DECISION WILL IN THE GAZETTE TOMORROW (FRIDAY) UNDER THE TAXIS NUMBER) NOTICE 1990.

BE PUBLISHED (LIMITATION ON

/5