XN000022-1994-03-30 — Page 58

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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 1994

HOWEVER, HE SAID THE FISCAL MEASURES WHEN USED PREVIOUSLY HAVE HAD CONSIDERABLE IMPACT, POINTING OUT THAT AFTER TAXES WERE RAISED IN 1982, THE NUMBER OF PRIVATE VEHICLES REDUCED BY 40,000, OR 23%, AND DID NOT RECOVER TO THE PRE-TAX INCREASE LEVEL, UNTIL FOUR YEARS LATER.

"THIS COULD GIVE US VITAL BREATHING SPACE,'

וי

MR BARMA SAID.

UNPOPULAR

CHOICES, IN

"WE WILL HAVE TO FACE DIFFICULT AND BALANCING THE INTERESTS OF VEHICLE OWNERS AND POTENTIAL VEHICLE OWNERS WITH THOSE OF THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE.

"THE ADMINISTRATION LOOKS TO MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL FOR THEIR SUPPORT AND UNDERSTANDING IN REACHING SOLUTIONS WHICH WILL BEST SERVE THE NEEDS OF HONG KONG, HE ADDED.

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ON RAILWAY DEVELOPMENT, HE SAID A STRATEGY WILL BE FORMULATED WITHIN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, FOLLOWING WHICH THERE WILL BE CONSULTATION WITH THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES, SINCE MOST OF THE EXPENDITURE WILL OCCUR AFTER 1997.

THEREAFTER, THE ADMINISTRATION WILL MOVE QUICKLY IN SEEKING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE HIGH PRIORITY PROJECTS.

MR

BARMA INDICATED THAT HE EXPECTED THAT THIS WOULD INCLUDE THE PROPOSED NORTH WEST NEW TERRITORIES RAILWAY AND A MTR LINK ΤΟ TSEUNG KWAN 0.

ON THE SUGGESTION TO PROVIDE MORE CAR PARKING SPACES ΤΟ HELP RELIEVE TRAFFIC CONGESTION, MR BARMA SAID THE GOVERNMENT WOULD DO ALL IT COULD TO RELIEVE CURRENT SHORTFALLS BY BUILDING MORE CAR PARKS AND PROVIDING TEMPORARY CAR PARKING SPACES IN AREAS WHERE LAND COULD BE MADE AVAILABLE.

DEMAND

IN ADDITION, THE GOVERNMENT HAS COMMISSIONED A PARKING STUDY WHICH WILL PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE REPORT ON THE PARKING PROBLEM.

ON ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE, MR BARMA SAID ALTHOUGH A SIGNIFICANT PROPORTION OF THE $9 BILLION EXPENDITURE IN 1994/95 WOULD BE PART OF THE AIRPORT CORE PROGRAMME, IT WAS EQUALLY IMPORTANT ΤΟ NOTE THAT THESE ROADS WERE NOT BEING BUILT EXCLUSIVELY FOR AIRPORT-RELATED TRAFFIC.

FOR EXAMPLE, THE WESTERN HARBOUR CROSSING AND ITS ASSOCIATED APPROACH ROADS WERE IDENTIFIED AS HIGH PRIORITIES IN THE COMPREHENSIVE TRANSPORT STUDY IN RELIEVING CROSS-HARBOUR TRAFFIC.

PER

IN SUMMING UP, HE SAID: "ALTHOUGH WE HAVE MORE VEHICLES KILOMETRE OF ROAD THAN ANY OTHER PLACE, WE HAVE MANAGED ΤΟ MAINTAIN AVERAGE TRAFFIC SPEEDS THAT COMPARE VERY FAVOURABLY WITH ANY OTHER MAJOR CITIES.

"AND OUR PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM IS IN FACT THE ENVY OF OTHER PLACES, IN THAT WE MANAGE TO PROVIDE A WIDE CHOICE OF MODES OF TRANSPORT AT REASONABLE FARES, AND WITHOUT PUBLIC SUBSIDY, HE ADDED.

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