ENG-1998 — Page 296

TRANSPORT

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transport policies and issues. The committee has 14 appointed members, including the chairman and three government officials, and is supported by a Transport Complaints Unit, which received 11 947 complaint cases on traffic and transport matters in 1998. The bureau also has regular dialogue with the Legislative Council's Panel on Transport. On local transport matters the government is advised by the provisional district boards, and their traffic and transport committees.

The bureau is supported by the Transport Department, which is headed by the Commissioner for Transport. The department is the authority for administering the Road Traffic Ordinance and legislation regulating public transport operations. Responsibilities cover transport planning, road traffic and tunnel management, car- parks and metered parking spaces, regulation of internal roads and waterborne public transport, licensing of drivers and the registration, licensing and inspection of vehicles.

The Hong Kong Police Force is the principal agency for enforcing traffic legislation and prosecuting offenders. The Prosecutions Section of the Transport Department handles prosecutions involving safety defects on buses, disqualifications under the Driving Offence Points System, and breaches of vehicle safety regulations, government tunnel regulations and Tsing Ma Control Area regulations. In 1998, it prosecuted 24 cases in respect of buses, 7 865 cases for which disqualification was sought under the Driving Offence Points System, and 2911 cases in respect of breaches of tunnel, Tsing Ma Control Area and other regulations.

A Transport Tribunal, set up under the Road Traffic Ordinance with a chairman and members appointed from among the public, provides a channel of appeal against decisions made by the Commissioner for Transport in respect of the registration and licensing of vehicles, the issue of hire car permits and passenger service licences, and the designation of car-testing centres.

The Transport Department also operates an Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre which provides a focal point for liaison with public transport operators on traffic and transport arrangements during serious traffic and transport disruptions, rainstorms and typhoons. It undertook eight operations in 1998.

The Director of Highways heads the Highways Department, which is responsible for designing and constructing all highways, their repair and maintenance, and also for studying new railway proposals and monitoring their construction.

Policy Objective and CTS-3

The government aims to provide a safe, efficient and reliable transport system which meets the economic, social and recreational needs of the community, and is capable of supporting further development of Hong Kong. It does this by:

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expanding and improving the transport infrastructure;

improving the availability and quality of public transport services; and

managing road use to reduce congestion and promote safety.

The Third Comprehensive Transport Study (CTS-3) was commissioned in August 1997 to look at Hong Kong's transport needs and to provide broad parameters for development of the transport system for the next 20 years. A public consultation exercise was conducted in June 1998 to seek public views on some of the broad parameters to be adopted in CTS-3 and views collected are being carefully