XN000022-1993-07-07 — Page 24

WEDNESDAY, JULY 7, 1993

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THESE MEASURES INCLUDE ERECTING LARGER DIRECTIONAL SIGNS, IMPOSING A 50 KM PER HOUR SPEED LIMIT AND ARRANGING FOR MORE FREQUENT RADIO BROADCASTS OF SAFETY MESSAGES WITHIN THE TUNNELS.

MR YEUNG SAID IN THE PAST THREE YEARS, SIX FATAL ACCIDENTS AND CAUSING SERIOUS INJURY HAD OCCURRED WITHIN ROAD TUNNELS AND THEIR APPROACH/EXIT AREAS.

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THREE OF THE FATAL ACCIDENTS AND 36 CAUSING SERIOUS INJURY OCCURRED WHILE ONE TUBE OF A TUNNEL WAS CLOSED AND THE OTHER TUBE WAS BEING USED FOR TWO-WAY TRAFFIC.

IN THE SAME PERIOD, THE OVERALL ACCIDENT RATE IN TUNNELS WAS 0.58 ACCIDENT PER MILLION VEHICLE KILOMETRES, WHICH COMPARED FAVOURABLY WITH THE RATE OF 1.72 PER MILLION VEHICLE KILOMETRES ON ALL ROADS, MR YEUNG NOTED.

AIRPORT IMMIGRATION CLEARANCE TIME FAVOURABLE

THE IMMIGRATION CLEARANCE TIME AT KAI TAK AIRPORT IN GENERAL COMPARES QUITE FAVOURABLY WITH OTHER AIRPORTS, GIVEN ITS HIGH USAGE AND THE PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS, THE SECRETARY FOR SECURITY, MR ALISTAIR ASPREY, SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

"WE

ARE AWARE, HOWEVER, THAT PASSENGER VOLUME AT KAI TAK MUST BE EXPECTED TO INCREASE BEFORE A REPLACEMENT AIRPORT COMES INTO

OPERATION.

"WE HOPE TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE NEXT YEAR SOME MORE RESOURCES FOR IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT FOLLOWING THE COMPLETION OF SCREENING OF VIETNAMESE ASYLUM SEEKERS, HE SAID.

REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY THE HON HOWARD YOUNG IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, MR ASPREY SAID THE DEPARTMENT HAD MADE A NUMBER OF IMPROVEMENTS IN PRODUCTIVITY AND CLEARANCE TIMES OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS TO COPE WITH THE INCREASED PRESSURE.

A RECENT IMPROVEMENT HAS BEEN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE TRAVEL RECORD AND IMMIGRATION CONTROL AND ENFORCEMENT SYSTEM.

MR ASPREY SAID THIS HAD ACHIEVED A SIGNIFICANT SHORTENING OF THE PROCESSING TIME FOR RESIDENTS ON ARRIVAL, FROM A MINUTE AND A HALF TO A MINUTE, AND ON DEPARTURE FROM A MINUTE TO HALF A MINUTE.

THE FINAL STAGE OF THE IMPROVEMENT WAS ACHIEVED ONLY LAST MONTH, HE ADDED.

IN 1995, THE EXISTING COMPUTER TERMINALS WILL BE REPLACED BY OPTICAL READERS WHICH WILL REDUCE FURTHER THE TIME NEEDED то CLEAR HONG KONG IDENTITY CARD AND MACHINE READABLE PASSPORT HOLDERS, HE SAID.

/THE DEPARTMENT