$82
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MR. SALES:-It may not be so. The possibility exists at the present time for the Traffic Police to carry out the work which I suggested in the Select Committee that Police Constables should be there to direct parking along the roadside rather than to issue summonses to people using the beach; that is a programme which the Urban Council has advocated to the Police. It is not necessary to have permanent car parking at beaches and other recreational areas just for holidays and weekends. There should be normal parking accommodation but on such occasions as weekends and public holidays the Traffic Police should be there to regulate parking along the roadside in the public interest.
MR. HU:-Thank you.
(17) MR. K. S. Lo asked the following question:-
In view of the second drowning incident in Deep Water Bay, will the Chairman please state whether the strength of our Life Guards, Life-saving facilities, Lookout Posts and Catermarans are adequate enough in all our beaches to safe-guard the swimming public against such accidents?
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:
This summer the number of life guards on duty at public beaches and swimming pools totals 170. They are, as far as I am aware, well organized, trained and equipped, and I believe that by standards elsewhere the service which they provide is satisfactory in both quantity and quality. This is not to say that there is no room for improvement, and plans are being drawn up to extend our life saving facilities to cope with the even larger crowds which are expected at beaches and swimming pools next year. One point which must be remembered is that often our life saving service is powerless to prevent an accident from happening because a swimmer ignores warnings or acts carelessly.
MR. BERNACCHI : Mr. Chairman, I have this afternoon received a complaint that at Tai Tam beach, Stanley, the lifeguard force is insufficient and sometimes removed to another beach even over the weekends. Is this the position?
CHAIRMAN:-I do not know but I will be glad to look into the matter.
MR. BERNACCHI:-Thank you.
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MR. Lo:-Mr. Chairman, in your answer to my question you said that plans are being drawn up to extend lifesaving facilities to cope with even larger crowds. Could you tell us, Sir, more about what sort of plans the department has in mind for next year?
CHAIRMAN:-Sir, it will be examined in connexion with the staff asked for in the forthcoming estimates.
MR. Lo:-Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask a supplementary. When the plans are being considered will the mechanical appliances for artificial respiration be considered as part of the equipment?
CHAIRMAN:-Yes, Sir, they will.
MR. HU: Another supplementary, Mr. Chairman. What are the hours that our lifeguards are on duty during weekdays and weekends?
CHAIRMAN:-My recollection, Sir, is that they come on duty at 10 in the morning and they cease duty at 7 in the evening but it depends upon the number of people using the beaches. If there is a large press of people at a beach at a certain time then some lifeguards would still stay on duty even after the normal period for ceasing duty. At some beaches, if there are only a few people using them at a particular time, you might find only one lifeguard on duty. If there are a lot of people using them, you might get 4 or 6 lifeguards on duty at any one time.
MR. Lo: Mr. Chairman, I would like to refer particularly to Deep Water Bay. I used to go down there on Sundays and generally I would see that half of the beach was already filled with people around 9 o'clock and yet none of our lifeguards go on duty until 10 o'clock. Could you advance the hours of duty to 9 during Sundays and holidays?
CHAIRMAN:-Indeed, I would like to correct my previous statement. I think the actual time for coming off duty is 7.30 and not 7 o'clock. The times of duty at Deep Water Bay, which are given in a schedule here, are 10 a.m. to 7.30 with 14 hours off for the mid-day meal, but I will certainly go into this point, Sir, and make sure that if there are numerous people on the beaches at 9 o'clock, lifeguards should be in attendance a little earlier.
MR. Lo:-My reason for bringing this up is perhaps not because I feel the lifeguards are lazy, but it is because we probably don't have enough people to stretch the long hours of duty required during weekends and holidays.
MR. SALES: The complement of 117 serves both Urban and New Territories Beaches or Urban Beaches alone?
CHAIRMAN:-Urban beaches alone, Sir.
MR. SALES:-Thank you.
Page 129 of 382
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$82
Page 129 of 382
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
MR. SALES-It may not be so. The possibility exists at the present time for the Traffic Police to carry out the work which I sug- gested in the Select Committee that Police Constables should be there to direct parking along the roadside rather than to issue summonses to people using the beach; that is a programme which the Urban Council has advocated to the Police. It is not necessary to have permanent car parking at beaches and other recreational areas just for holidays and weekends. There should be normal parking accommoda- tion but on such occasions as weekends and public holidays the Traffic Police should be there to regulate parking along the roadside in the public interest.
MR. HU:-Thank you.
(17) MR. K. S. Lo asked the following question:-
In view of the second drowning incident in Deep Water Bay, will the Chairman please state whether the strength of our Life Guards, Life-saving facilities, Lookout Posts and Catermarans are adequate enough in all our beaches to safe-guard the swimming public against such accidents?
THE CHAIRMAN replied as follows:
This summer the number of life guards on duty at publilc beaches and swimming pools totals 170. They are, as far as I am aware, well organized, trained and equipped, and I believe that by standards elsewhere the service which they provide is satisfactory in both quantity and quality. This is not to say that there is no room for improvement, and plans are being drawn up to extend our life saving facilities to cope with the even larger crowds which are expected at beaches and swimming pools next year. One point which must be remembered is that often our life saving service is powerless to prevent an accident from happening because a swimmer ignores warnings or acts carelessly.
MR. BERNACCHI : Mr. Chairman, I have this afternoon received a complaint that at Tai Tam beach, Stanley, the lifeguard force is in- sufficient and sometimes removed to another beach even over the weekends. Is this the position?
CHAIRMAN:-I do not know but I will be glad to look into the
matter.
MR. BERNACCHI:-Thank you.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
237
MR. Lo:-Mr. Chairman, in your answer to my question you said that plans are being drawn up to extend lifesaving facilities to cope with even larger crowds. Could you tell us, Sir, more about what sort of plans the department has in mind for next year?
CHAIRMAN:-Sir, it will be examined in connexion with the staff asked for in the forthcoming estimates.
MR. Lo:-Mr. Chairman, I would like to ask a supplementary. When the plans are being considered will the mechanical appliances for artificial respiration be considered as part of the equipment?
CHAIRMAN:-Yes, Sir, they will.
MR. HU: Another supplementary, Mr. Chairman. What are the hours that our lifeguards are on duty during weekdays and week- ends?
CHAIRMAN: --My recollection, Sir, is that they come on duty at 10 in the morning and they cease duty at 7 in the evening but it depends upon the number of people using the beaches. If there is a large press of people at a beach at a certain time then some lifeguards would still stay on duty even after the normal period for ceasing duty. At some beaches, if there are only a few people using them at a particular time, you might find only one lifeguard on duty. If there are a lot of people using them, you might get 4 or 6 lifeguards on duty at any one time. MR. Lo: Mr. Chairman, I would like to refer particularly to Deep Water Bay. I used to go down there on Sundays and generally I would see that half of the beach was already filled with people around 9 o'clock and yet none of our lifeguards go on duty until 10 o'clock. Could you advance the hours of duty to 9 during Sundays and holidays?
CHAIRMAN: -Indeed, I would like to correct my previous state- ment. I think the actual time for coming off duty is 7.30 and not 7 o'clock. The times of duty at Deep Water Bay, which are given in a schedule here, are 10 a.m. to 7.30 with 14 hours off for the mid-day meal, but I will certainly go into this point, Sir, and make sure that if there are numerous people on the beaches at 9 o'clock, lifeguards should be in attendance a little earlier.
MR. Lo:-My reason for bringing this up is perhaps not because I feel the lifeguards are lazy, but it is because we probably don't have enough people to stretch the long hours of duty required during week- ends and holidays.
MR. SALES: The complement of 117 serves both Urban and New Territories Beaches or Urban Beaches alone?
CHAIRMAN:-Urban beaches alone, Sir.
MR. SALES:-Thank you.
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