ENG-1972 — Page 200

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Licensing

COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORT

The number of registered motor vehicles at the end of 1972 was 186,377, an increase of 13 per cent over the previous year (vehicle statistics are given in Appendix 32).

The demand for driving licences increased at a phenomenal rate and at one stage in 1972, the list of persons awaiting driving tests totalled 156,702. To cope with this demand, an accelerated testing programme was introduced in September, whereby volunteer testers from among competent drivers in various government departments were employed to carry out tests in the evenings, at weekends and on public holi- days. This programme reduced the waiting time for private car practical driving tests from 11 months to 2 months. On the other hand, it also stimulated further demand for provisional driving licences and the department's capacity to deal with 300 applications per day for the written test became totally inadequate. At the end of the year, there was a waiting list of 191,952 candidates.

Congestion

During 1972, the number of motor vehicles on Hong Kong's roads increased by 13 per cent to a total of 186,377, representing 297 vehicles to every mile of road. The number of licensed drivers went up to 416,046, with 81,034 new licences being issued during the year. Although considerable progress was made in new road construction, particularly in respect of the roads leading to the cross-harbour tunnel, it is clear that to cope with an unrestricted demand for road space in heavily built-up areas, existing property would have to be demolished on a massive scale. Area traffic control systems, flyovers, one-way routings and clearways contribute towards increasing the capacity of the existing road system but the scope for these is not unlimited. Obviously it will be necessary to restrain ownership and the use of vehicles to ensure that the best use is made of the road system. In particular, public transport (as the most eco- nomical user of road and kerb space) will have to take priority over private transport. During peak hours, a private car carries, on average, 2.1 people whereas a large double-decker bus or tram, occupying at the most three times as much road space can carry just over 120 passengers.''

As road congestion increases, public transport becomes less efficient, because it loses mileage through disrupted schedules and delays in frequency. As it becomes less efficient and the community becomes more prosperous, the incentive to own private cars increases and thus traffic congestion grows worse. This is a vicious circle that will have to be broken if the community is to avoid the prospect of having large sections of the road system completely jammed through much of the day.

The problem will have to be tackled from both ends; not only in terms of restricting the use of private transport but also in improving public transport, including the proposed mass transit railway, so that there is a reasonable alternative to the private car.

Road congestion affects not only drivers and passengers in vehicles but also pedestrians who find it increasingly difficult to cross roads safely and to find any- where where they can walk freely. Recent major road improvements, such as the