ENG-1986 — Page 221

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TRANSPORT

The Commissioner for Transport heads the Transport Department, which administers the Road Traffic Ordinance and other legislation regulating public transport operations other than railways. His responsibilities cover road traffic management, including govern- ment road tunnels, carparks and metered parking spaces, and the regulation of internal road and waterborne public transport. On these matters, he is advised by the Standing Conference on Road Use and the Standing Committee on Waterborne Transport. He is also responsible for the licensing of drivers and the registration, licensing and inspection of vehicles.

In June, as part of a reorganisation of engineering functions within the government, the Highways Office became a separate department under the Director of Highways, with responsibility for designing and building all highways and roads, and for their repair and maintenance. The new department has been placed under the policy direction of the Transport Branch. The Royal Hong Kong Police Force_enforces traffic legislation and prosecutes offenders.

A Transport Tribunal, chaired by an appointed member and set up under the Road Traffic Ordinance, provides members of the public with an avenue of appeal against decisions made by the Commissioner for Transport in respect of the registration and licensing of vehicles and the issue of hire-car permits and passenger service licences.

Planning-

The basis for the long term planning of the overall development of the territory is the Territorial Development Strategy produced by the Strategic Planning Unit of the Lands and Works Branch. Transport considerations form part of the input to the strategy, and transport planning takes place within the general framework prescribed by it.

During the year, the Transport Department conducted three short-term and medium- term transport planning studies. These were: a study of cross harbour public transport requirements up to 1991, a re-run of the full Comprehensive Transport Models to update the travel demand forecasts for 1991 and 1996, and the East Kowloon Traffic Study, which examined future transport infrastructure requirements for East Kowloon, in the light of the future opening of the Eastern Harbour Crossing and Tate's Cairn Tunnel.

Rail operators also conducted studies of the possible expansion of their services. The Kowloon Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) commissioned consultants to conduct an economic assessment of the viability of extending the Light Rail Transit System, and a feasibility study of railway terminal expansion and associated infrastructure on the Hung Hom Bay Reclamation. The Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC) carried out studies into possible MTR extensions from Tsuen Wan to the north-west New Territories, from Kwun Tong to Junk Bay and from Sheung Wan to the proposed Green Island Reclamation.

Progress was made with the detailed design of new major highways to enable construc- tion to start in 1987. These included the remaining section of the New Territories Circular Road System from Fairview Park to Mai Po, the remaining section of the Island Eastern Corridor from Shau Kei Wan to Chai Wan, and the western access to developments in Ma Chai Hang, Chuk Yuen.

Cross Border Traffic

Traffic between Hong Kong and China via the two road crossing points at Man Kam To and Sha Tau Kok continued to rise sharply during 1986. The number of vehicles travelling in both directions rose from 5 032 per day in December 1985 to 7 220 per day in December