XN000022-1993-09-03 — Page 12

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1993

ALL OF THEM WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE BY MID-SEPTEMBER. THEY INCLUDE 220 OFF-STREET SPACES AND 270 ON-STREET SPACES, SPREADING OVER WESTERN DISTRICT AND SIU SAI WAN, CHAI WAN.

THIS SHOULD ALSO PROVIDE SUFFICIENT AND SUITABLE SPACES FOR THE PARKING OF DANGEROUS GOODS VEHICLES.

BY THE MIDDLE OF NEXT YEAR, ABOUT 400 MORE SPACES ARE EXPECTED TO BE MADE AVAILABLE IN WESTERN DISTRICT AND QUARRY BAY.

HAS

HIELD

THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT

MEETINGS WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF LORRY DRIVERS AND SOME DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS. THE NEW PARKING SPACES HAVE BEEN EXPLAINED AND OFFERED TO THEM.

IT IS REGRETTABLE THAT THE DRIVERS' SATISFIED WITH THE OFFER.

REPRESENTATIVES WERE NOT

THEY INDICATED THEIR PREFERENCE TO STAY IN THE EXISTING VEHICLE PARK FOR SO LONG AS OTHER LARGE OFF-STREET PARKING SPACES IN WESTERN DISTRICT WOULD BE AVAILABLE.

TO EXPRESS THEIR DISSATISFACTION, THEY PETITIONED COUNCILLORS AND HAVE APPLIED TO THE POLICE FOR STAGING A TOMORROW (SATURDAY).

LEGISLATIVE

SLOW DRIVE

OF

THE

THE DEPARTMENT HAS ATTENDED A SPECIAL MEETING ENVIRONMENTAL AND WORKS COMMITTEE OF THE CENTRAL AND WESTERN DISTRICT BOARD THIS (FRIDAY) AFTERNOON, THE PROPOSED ALTERNATIVE PARKING SPACES WERE EXPLAINED TO MEMBERS AT THE MEETING.

AFTER THE MEETING, ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER FOR TRANSPORT, MR C C CHAN, SAID THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT HAD ALSO HELD DISCUSSIONS WITH THE WESTERN HARBOUR CROSSING CONSORTIUM AND CONTRACTORS.

IT HAD BEEN CONFIRMED BY NOON TODAY THAT IN ORDER ΤΟ COMPLETE THE PROJECT, IT WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE ΤΟ INDEFINITELY DEFER THE TAKING OVER OF THE VEHICLE PARK.

HOWEVER, IN VIEW OF THE SUGGESTIONS MADE BY ALL CONCERNED, INCLUDING SOME LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS, DISTRICT BOARD MEMBERS AND DRIVERS' REPRESENTATIVES, THE CONSORTIUM HAS CRITICALLY REVIEWED THE WORKS PROGRAMME AND HAS PREPARED, AS A LAST RESORT AND EXPRESSION OF GOODWILL, TO RE-OPEN THE FORMER VEHICLE PARK UNTIL THE END OF SEPTEMBER, WHICH HAS ALREADY BEEN CLOSED TO VEHICLE PARKING AT THE END OF JULY.

"IT IS EXPECTED THAT THIS SITE, WHICH CAN ACCOMMODATE 200 LORRIES, WOULD BE MADE AVAILABLE FROM MONDAY (SEPTEMBER 6)," MR CHAN SAID.

HE STRESSED THAT NO MORE DEFERMENTS COULD BE MADE WITHOUT CAUSING DELAYS TO THE COMPLETION OF THE PROJECT.

MR CHAN APPEALED TO THE LORRY DRIVERS TO ABANDON THE PROPOSED SLOW DRIVE TOMORROW IN THE INTEREST OF THE TRAVELLING PUBLIC.

TOGETHER WITH PARTIES CONCERNED, THE TRANSPORT DEPARTMENT WOULD CONTINUE TO TRY TO MAKE AVAILABLE MORE ALTERNATIVE PARKING SPACES LORRIES IN THE LONGER TERM.

FOR

/ONE POSSIBILITY