ENG-1985 — Page 238

TRANSPORT

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The Cross-Harbour Tunnel runs beneath the harbour and links Hong Kong Island to the Kowloon peninsula. It was opened in 1972 and the traffic increased over the years to such an extent that, with an average of 110 000 vehicles per day in 1983, it became the world's busiest four-lane facility. The eight-class toll structure, with charges varying from $2 for motorcycles to $20 for the largest goods vehicles, has remained unaltered. In order to reduce congestion, the government in June 1984 introduced a tax of from $2 to $5 on all vehicles passing through the tunnel except public and private buses and vehicles used by disabled drivers and members of the Consular Corps. After an initial drop of 15 per cent in the number of vehicles using the tunnel, the figure settled at around 102 000 per day in mid-1985, considerably easing congestion.

Parking

At the beginning of the year, a total of 10 multi-storey carparks comprising 6 141 parking spaces were operated on the government's behalf by Wilson Parking (Hong Kong) Pty Limited while the Transport Department operated five open-air carparks comprising 669 parking spaces.

Wilson Parking's three-year agreement with the government commenced in May 1984. On May 1, 1985, the company increased the Sunday and public holiday hourly parking fees for the five carparks in Central District (Garden Road, Murray Road, City Hall, Star Ferry and Rumsey Street) from $3 to $6 between 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and the monthly pass fee from $1,200 to $1,300. At the end of 1985, hourly parking fees ranged from $6 for peak period use to $2 for off-peak use, depending on the location of the carpark. Minimum charges for two hours were introduced for carparks in Central District. Monthly passes were available for 70 per cent of the spaces in the multi-storey carparks at charges varying from $400 to $1,300.

The hourly charges in the open-air carparks varied from 50 cents to $3, depending on the time of day, and monthly passes were obtainable at prices ranging from $200 to $400, depending on location, for 50 per cent of the spaces. Motorcycle-parking spaces were also available in three carparks at 50 cents per space or $100 per monthly pass.

Other off-street public parking is provided by the Civil Aviation Department at Hong Kong International Airport and by the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation at Kowloon Station. Surveys conducted in late 1984 showed that there were about 32 000 spaces in multi-storey carparks owned and operated by the private sector throughout Hong Kong. The charges in these facilities ranged from $3 to $7 per hour, usually with a minimum charge for two or three hours.

On-street parking is usually metered and is provided at locations where traffic conditions permit. In mid-1985, there were 14 500 metered spaces throughout the territory operating during the period 8 a.m. to midnight from Monday to Saturday. In such areas as Causeway Bay, Happy Valley and Tsim Sha Tsui, where parking demand is high, the meter operation has been extended to include Sundays and public holidays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Surveys of these areas have shown that the extended operation has proved successful in regulating supply and demand and the scheme was scheduled to be introduced to cover more areas in Wan Chai, Happy Valley, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon City, Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok by the end of 1985.

Law enforcement in respect of parking offences is carried out by traffic wardens and officers of the Traffic Branch of the Royal Hong Kong Police Force. Fixed penalty tickets are issued in respect of parking offences, the current fine being $140.