XN000022-1994-10-26 — Page 88

(C)

PENALTIES

1

72

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1994

+

AT PRESENT, DRIVERS CONVICTED OF OVERLOADING A SCHOOL SERVICE VEHICLE ARE LIABLE ON FIRST CONVICTION TO A FINE OF $5,000 AND IMPRISONMENT FOR THREE MONTHS, AND ON SECOND OR SUBSEQUENT CONVICTION TO A FINE OF $10,000 AND IMPRISONMENT FOR SIX MONTHS. CARRYING EXCESS PASSENGERS IS ALSO A FIXED PENALTY OFFENCE, WITH A FINE OF $450. FOR THE TIME BEING THERE IS NO EVIDENCE TO SUGGEST THAT THE PRESENT LEVEL OF PENALTIES PROVIDES AN INSUFFICIENT DETERRENT, BUT THE SITUATION IS BEING MONITORED

AND THE PENALTIES WILL BE REVIEWED IF NECESSARY.

CLOSELY

-

SLOPE SAFETY

*

AND A

FOLLOWING IS A QUESTION BY THE HON ALBERT CHAN WAI-YIP WRITTEN REPLY BY THE SECRETARY FOR WORKS, MR JAMES BLAKE, IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY):

QUESTION: A LANDSLIDE OCCURRED AT 14 MILES (TSING LUNG TAU) OF CASTLE PEAK ROAD ON 7 AUGUST 1994. STAFF OF THE GEOTECHNCIAL ENGINEERING OFFICE HAD SUBSEQUENTLY DISCLOSED THAT THE FAILED SLOPE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE GOVERNMENT'S CATALOGUE OF SLOPES. LATER ON, WHEN THE HIGHWAYS DEPARTMENT AND THE GEOTECHNCIAL ENGINEERING OFFICE CARRIED OUT A FULL-SCALE INSPECTION OF THE SLOPES ALONG CASTLE PEAK ROAD FROM TSING LUNG TAU TO TSUEN WAN, APPROXIMATELY 40 SLOPES WERE FOUND TO BE IN NEED OF REPAIRS OR STABILIZATION WORK. THESE INCIDENTS INDICATE THE GRAVITY OF THE PROBLEMS POSED BY SLOPES ALONG CASTLE PEAK ROAD. IN VIEW OF THIS, WILL THE GOVERNMENT INFORM THIS COUNCIL :

(A) WHETHER

SIMILAR INSPECTIONS HAVE BEEN CARRIED OUT OF

THE SLOPES ALONG HIGHWAYS OTHER THAN CASTLE PEAK ROAD; IF SO, WHAT THE FINDINGS ARE; AND

(B) HOW

IT

CAN ENSURE THAT SIMILAR

OCCUR IN THE FUTURE?

ACCIDENTS

WILL NOT

/REPLY