XN000022-1995-02-15 — Page 35

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Mr President, as I said earlier we are now considering the outcome of the public consultation exercise before we decide on the way forward, but one thing is clear. We cannot tackle the traffic congestion problems without the full support of this Council. Any measures we propose will need either legislation or funding. From what has been said today, I sense that Members will be willing to support ERP as well as various traffic management initiatives, but that is not sufficient. If we do nothing to constrain the growth in the vehicle fleet while awaiting the introduction of ERP traffic conditions will deteriorate. The longer hard choices are deferred, the worse the situation will become. The obvious fact is that sooner or later we must control the growth in vehicle numbers. We must face the facts. The one third increase in numbers of private cars experienced in the last 3 years simply cannot be sustained without very serious consequences. That must be apparent to all of us. Inaction now will affect the economy, raise air pollution to levels where public health is placed in even greater jeopardy, and slow public buses to a crawl at a time when most Members of this Council are seeking improved public transport services. We must not allow this to happen. But the choice ultimately rests with the Members of this Council. Should you decide not to support the measures to constrain growth in private car fleet in the short term, then the consequences must be accepted by the community.

Mr President, may I conclude by thanking the Liberal Party for their report, the Democratic party for their views, the DAB for their survey, as well as the District Boards, the Motor Traders Association, and all other organisations and individuals who have taken the trouble either to discuss their proposals with Government or to make written submissions. From our analysis so far, it appears that we have sufficient public support to embark on a technical studies on ERP, to reduce or eliminate tax benefits for company cars and to improve traffic management, including the introduction of more bus priority schemes and better management of road openings. We also have support for continuing to upgrade and improve public transport and for investment in the transport infrastructure. In addition, I note the acceptance of the need for stricter enforcement of the law on traffic offences and higher penalties. The three major political parties and indeed the public however seem to have tremendous difficulty with our proposals for raising the levels of first registration tax and annual Here I cannot resist licence fees, and passage tax at cross harbour tunnels. commenting that as the Honourable Emily Lau has also done so, that what the Honourable Miriam Lau has said that the choice is between cyanide or other types of poisons is rather a matter dramatic. While it is hardly surprising that these measures are not popular, they are essential in the interim if we are to keep our traffic moving. The Honourable Miriam Lau has urged the administration to fully consider the views expressed by the public. As I said at the outset, that is precisely our intention and why the administration has published its package for comment.