Police-1964-1965 — Page 39

TRAFFIC PROBLEMS

163. Congestion in the Urban-areas continued to be the principal ingre- dient of the Colony's traffic problem. Intensive multi-storey redevelopment to meet the demands of an ever-increasing population for somewhere to live, to work, to shop and to be entertained, has disrupted traffic whilst in progress and, once completed, creates an increased demand for space on the surround- ing roads for parking, for goods-handling and for additional Public transport facilities. As the authority for designating the use to be made of kerb-side road the Commissioner of Police has to achieve a satisfactory compro- mise between the competing interests of domestic residents, commercial interests and commuter traffic. To complicate the problem still further, the need for efficient street-cleansing and the demands of innumerable street- hawkers must also be considered.

space,

164. An eight-storey car park was completed during the year near the junction of Nathan and Chatham Roads in Kowloon. This accommodates 910 vehicles and has contributed greatly towards easing the parking problem in this locality, particularly for the cross-harbour commuter.

165. Elsewhere in the urban areas, however, the parking meter provides the only equitable means of allocating and controlling the use of the available road-space and the total number of these installed at the end of the year was 3,457.

PUBLIC ROAD TRANSPORT

166. As the Authority under the Public Transport Services Ordinances Nos. 4 and 5 of 1960, the Commissioner of Police, with the advice of the Advisory Committee on Public Transport, approved increases in the fleets of public omnibuses operated by the two major companies under exclusive franchises as follows:-

Buses Carrying Capacity

(at 31.3.65)

Increases %

China Motor Bus Co. Kowloon Motor Bus Co.

403

(1933) Ltd.

•

952

23,181

65,336

8.5 11

9 16.39

167. The number of passengers carried during the year by these two companies showed a big increase, with a corresponding increase in mileage

covered as follows:-

China Motor Bus Co.

Passengers

160.3 m.

Miles

Increases (%)

15.2 m.

8.5

4.5

Kowloon Motor Bus Co.

(1933) Ltd..

558-2 m.

50.8 m.

6.2

26-4

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