ENG-1974 — Page 203

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COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORT

1972. The number of vehicles using it during 1974 totalled 14,276,446. Revenue from toll fees, which vary from $2 to $20, amounted to $86,291,481.

The airport tunnel, which will link Ma Tau Kok to Ngau Tau Kok and Kwun Tong to relieve traffic congestion in the Kowloon City area, is under construction and expected to be completed by 1977.

The Aberdeen-Happy Valley tunnel, which will relieve the overloaded Pok Fu Lam route, is now under active investigation, including the drilling of a pilot tunnel. Construction work may start in 1975 and be completed by 1978.

Traffic Congestion

Traffic congestion, while continuing to be heavy at many locations, has not deteriorated during the year, probably because for the first time in many years the number of vehicles licensed for use on the roads went down. However, the com- mencement of work on the mass transit railway in 1975 will undoubtedly cause severe traffic congestion in certain areas.

To deal with the general congestion problem the government published a Green Paper 'Transport in Hong Kong' outlining certain proposals for the future. These include improvements to the road system at a cost of $1,400 million over the next four years; expansion and improvement of public transport by the construction of a mass transit railway and by a reorganisation of the bus services; and the more economic use of the road system. This includes giving priority to buses and trams, restrictions on goods vehicle operations, deterring ownership and use of private cars, and improving the mechanical condition of vehicles. If all these proposals become accepted government policy, then Hong Kong's road system, which is severely restrict- ed by the geography of the territory, should be able to cope with movement of pas- sengers and goods for many years to come.

Parking

In Hong Kong where the density of traffic is among the highest in the world, parking becomes increasingly difficult. To-improve traffic flow, the number of on- street parking spaces in the more congested parts of the urban area is being progres- sively reduced, thus increasing the demand for off-street car parks.

At present, there are seven government multi-storey car parks, managed by the Urban Council, with a total capacity of 4,500 vehicles. Five of these car parks are located in the Central business district. One more car park, within the Hung Hom Railway Terminus complex, is now under construction and will accommodate 1,000 vehicles. A further four car parks, with 4,300 spaces, are planned, but construction is not due to begin for one or two years. The government increased the fees for multi- storey car parks in October and this has resulted in spaces becoming easily available for those who are prepared to pay the price.

In addition, there are nine multi-storey car parks operated by private enterprise. They vary in size from 100 to 1,400 spaces, with a total capacity of 5,000 vehicles.