ENG-1978 — Page 223

COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORT

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Kowloon and Kwai Chung continued to provide recreational and welfare facilities of a high standard for visiting seamen of all nationalities.

Legislation enacted during the year which significantly affected the work of the Marine Department included the Shipping and Port Control Bill 1978 and the Merchant Shipping (Amendment) Bill 1977.

The Shipping and Port Control Bill 1978 improved and consolidated those parts of the Merchant Shipping Ordinance and its subsidiary legislation related to shipping and control of ports in Hong Kong. The Merchant Shipping Ordinance had long been considered unsuitable and too restrictive to deal effectively with port administra- tion, the control of local waters and the regulation of local craft. The Merchant Ship- ping Ordinance, which is based on the United Kingdom Merchant Shipping Acts and intended primarily to regulate international shipping, provided insufficient powers to allow the making of subsidiary legislation of broad enough scope to tackle local problems. The Shipping and Port Control Bill 1978 reproduced the existing provisions in the Merchant Shipping Ordinance but in a form which clarified the Director of Marine's powers to co-ordinate the navigation and mooring of vessels; to control shipbreaking, ship repairing and cargo handling activities; and generally to administer the waters of Hong Kong with maximum efficiency.

The Merchant Shipping (Amendment) Bill 1977 amended the Merchant Shipping Ordinance to require the owners of pleasure vessels who use their craft in Hong Kong waters to effect insurance against third party risks.

Transport in Hong Kong

Given Hong Kong's exceptionally crowded conditions, its transport system is remark- ably effective. Urban travel is likely to engender frustrations but nonetheless Hong Kong people, the majority of whom have no private car, generally manage satisfac- torily finding cheap and varied public transport available at most hours of the day and night. Approximately 6.3 million public transport trips are made each day by bus, minibus, ferry, rail, tram and taxi. One of the government's most vital tasks is to maintain and improve the use of public transport for if demand cannot be substan- tially satisfied, more people will turn to private car ownership and the traffic situation will deteriorate.

In Hong Kong, it is essential that transport planning proceeds speedily and effi- ciently to keep pace with the territory's development and the growth of prosperity. Accordingly while new roads, flyovers and tunnels are being built, work continues on the task of finding other imaginative and practical schemes to meet Hong Kong's traffic needs. The community is looking forward to the opening in September, 1979, of the first section of the Mass Transit Railway from Kwun Tong to Shek Kip Mei. Another major project is the modernisation of the British Section of the Kowloon- Canton Railway by electrification, double-tracking and the introduction of new rolling stock operating at increased frequencies.

During 1978, a plan was being examined in detail for a new transport service cover- ing the north shore of Hong Kong Island. A light rail system, capable of development into a full underground line if necessary, has been proposed to replace the current double-deck tram service. This does not mean that Hong Kong will definitely be saying goodbye to its trams. A tram service is one of the options being considered for